Around 6,000 members of a major Chinese incentive trip stayed in 16 hotels in Abu Dhabi recently, delivering 12,500 nights to the destination, according to a report from Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi).

In all some 14,500 resellers of Nu Skin cosmetics were in the UAE capital as part of the company’s Top Achievers’ ‘Success’ celebration.

It was the largest incentive trip – shared between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah – in the company’s history and the longest and largest outbound incentive travel group in China’s direct selling industry.

Over 8,000 members of the biggest Chinese incentive ever to come out of the People’s Republic were joined at their gala dinner reception on April 12 at Yas Marina Circuit by Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Sultan and the authority deputy director general Jasem Al Darmaki, joined in the celebrations and signaled their thanks to all involved with a “hats off’ gesture.

Two major gala event were held at Yas Marina Circuit with guests choosing from food stalls dotted around the unique track and fireworks lighting up the Yas Island skies.

While in Abu Dhabi the NU SKIN guests enjoyed a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a city tour and an experience at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi – the world’s largest indoor theme park with the world’s fastest roller-coaster.

The incentive came to the UAE capital with the assistance of the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau’s Advantage Abu Dhabi catalyst programme which helps grow business events in the emirate. The Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau is a dedicated entity within TCA Abu Dhabi.

“This represented a major effort by a variety of stakeholders who have gone out of their way to ensure its success,” said Sheikh Sultan.

“From specific welcome signs in Chinese, to welcome gifts and dedicated Chinese speaking staff on hand, the emirate demonstrated its ability to cater to this very important market. The Chinese MICE industry is emerging, dynamic and fast-growing and is currently worth an estimated $150 billion and growing annually at 20 per cent - it’s a market we intend to have a share of.

“We are using the NU SKIN experience as a case study in our efforts to attract similar Chinese business here and are backing up this promotion with major sales pushes this month at Shanghai’s important IT&CM trade fair and next month with a road show around the major Chinese cities.

“We have the air access in place with 25 flights a week now arriving in Abu Dhabi from China and Etihad Airways operating daily from Beijing and Shanghai and five times a week from Chengdu. This gives us a fantastic foundation on which to build,” he added.

The Nu Skin incentive is set to deliver major benefits to Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry this month. In April last year some 3,303 Chinese guests checked into Abu Dhabi’s hotels and stayed, on average, 1.99 nights. This month, the Nu Skin visitors alone will account for 6,502 hotel guests who will stay, on average, five nights, according to the report.

China is currently Abu Dhabi’s third largest international source market for hotel guests. – TradeArabia News Service