Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), in partnership with China Tourism Academy (CTA), will issue the Chinese travel industry’s ‘Welcome Chinese’ certification to over 20 hotels and attractions at a ceremony in the UAE capital.

Welcome Chinese is a certification issued by CTA to hospitality and attraction providers who provide services dedicated to Chinese travellers.

Abu Dhabi welcomed 120,350 guests from China in 2014 - an increase of 166 per cent from the previous year - catapulting it into the top-five producing overseas markets, although Chinese guests post one of the lowest average lengths of stay at just 1.67 nights.

“In acknowledging the efforts undertaken by these establishments to provide a set of overseas travel service standards approved and released by the China Tourism Academy, Chinese visitors will have greater confidence in the range and quality of our product,” said Sultan Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director Tourism TCA Abu Dhabi.

TCA Abu Dhabi is supporting the initiative and will host a gala dinner for delegates and destination familiarisation activities for attending Chinese delegates and media.

“As the Chinese market matures, travel patterns are also likely to change to encompass cultural experiences, leisure and resorts, health and well-being tourism and even travel to a single destination for extended stays to enjoy and experience the high-quality life at the destination,” said Dai Bin, president of CTA.

By participating in the programme, certified members will be qualified to join CTA’s partnership network and enjoy great benefits in marketing and promotion to the Chinese outbound travel market.

The certified hotels will receive increased visibility to the Chinese travel industry through a series of organised road shows, participation in international travel fairs, on- and offline marketing initiatives, and a presence on the CTA website and social media channels.

The Welcome Chinese certification awards ceremony will be held on February 9 at the Yas Island Rotana Hotel. – TradeArabia News Service