The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has signed nine joint marketing partnerships with Indian travel companies, targeting an additional 75,500 visitors to the emirate through coordinated promotional campaigns.
The largest agreement is with MakeMyTrip, which is expected to bring 37,500 visitors to Abu Dhabi over 18 months. Thrillophilia and Akbar Holidays have commitments of 11,000 and 10,000 visitors respectively over the same period.
DCT Abu Dhabi has also entered one-year agreements with RezLive, targeting 3,500 visitors, and Utazzo Holidays with the same target. Holiday Tribe is expected to deliver 3,000 visitors, while TravClan and Pickyourtrail each have targets of 2,500. GNRconnect.com has a target of 2,000 visitors.
The agreements were signed during Arabian Travel Market, where Abu Dhabi is promoting its tourism offering across arts, culture, cuisine, entertainment and shopping. The partnerships are designed to strengthen the emirate’s engagement with the Indian travel market.
India was Abu Dhabi’s largest overseas source market in 2025 and remains a key market in 2026. Indian visitors accounted for 13% of Abu Dhabi’s hotel guests in 2025, with arrivals increasing 22% year-on-year to 436,124.
DCT Abu Dhabi attributed the market’s growth to expanding air connectivity, major events including the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and targeted campaigns around occasions such as Diwali and Eid. The emirate has also promoted the destination through an ambassador campaign featuring actors Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.