The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) took its Experience Abu Dhabi Roadshow to Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai this July, bringing together Abu Dhabi tourism partners and leading travel professionals across three of India’s fastest-growing outbound travel markets.
Taking place from 13 to 17 July, the roadshow was part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s long-term engagement with the Indian market and its commitment to providing travel partners with the latest updates on Abu Dhabi, product information and tools to help more Indian travellers consider the emirate.
Across the three cities, travel advisors, tour operators and industry stakeholders met with Abu Dhabi’s leading hotels, attractions, destination management companies and tourism partners, while learning about the emirate’s newest cultural institutions, family attractions, hotel openings, events and experiences.
The roadshow comes as Abu Dhabi continues to expand its visitor offering, building on its strongest tourism performance on record in 2025. From landmark cultural institutions and world-class attractions to new hotels and major events, the emirate is broadening the experiences available to international visitors. Last year the emirate welcomed 26.6 million visitors, with hotel revenues rising by 19.5 per cent year on year and the emirate’s cultural institutions recorded 8.6 million visits last year.
Indian travellers will soon be able to explore Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, due to open later this year, alongside recently announced attractions, including Disney Resort Abu Dhabi, Sphere Abu Dhabi, and the expansion of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi with a dedicated Harry Potter-themed experience.
The roadshow also coincided with the launch of Air India’s inaugural Navi Mumbai to Abu Dhabi service on 15 July, the latest addition to travel options for Indian visitors, complementing the extensive network already provided by Etihad Airways and other airline partners.
Abdulla Yousuf, Director of International Operations at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “India remains one of Abu Dhabi’s most important international markets, and we are committed to working closely with our trade partners across the country. While the major metropolitan markets remain important, we are seeing growing interest from emerging cities where demand for international travel continues to grow.
This roadshow gives our partners first-hand insight into Abu Dhabi’s evolving visitor offering, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to recommend the emirate to more travellers. Improved connectivity makes it easier than ever for Indian travellers to discover Abu Dhabi.”
Bringing together one of the largest Abu Dhabi delegations to visit these markets, the roadshow featured 27 tourism stakeholders, alongside representatives from Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB), Destination Weddings, and the Al Ain Region and Al Dhafra Region teams. The delegation represents a broad cross-section of the emirate’s tourism sector, including hotels, attractions and destination management companies, with more than 300 travel professionals expected to participate across the three events.
Through destination briefings, networking sessions and practical sales tools, participants gained deeper insight into Abu Dhabi’s evolving tourism offering. Attendees also learned more about the Experience Abu Dhabi Experts training platform, giving them access to destination resources, product updates and learning modules that support year-round sales.
India remains one of Abu Dhabi’s leading international source markets, with DCT Abu Dhabi continuing to invest in long-term trade partnerships, expanded connectivity and tailored marketing campaigns that support the emirate’s Tourism Strategy 2030.
Roadshow schedule
- Monday, 13 July: Ahmedabad – Hyatt Regency
- Wednesday, 15 July: Kolkata – Taj Bengal
- Friday, 17 July: Chennai – Pullman Chennai
With over 17 years of experience in the B2B travel and hospitality sector, she brings deep insight into travel trade dynamics, industry challenges and market developments. She holds an MA in English Literature and a Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, which underpin her strong editorial expertise. An avid nature enthusiast, she prefers outdoor and adventure-led travel, including hiking and trekking.