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Desert Islands Exhibition Opens at Emirates Palace Release date: 10th July 2007 A unique exhibition devoted to the Desert Islands - the multi-experience tourism destination taking shape off Abu Dhabi’s western coastline – has opened at the Emirates Palace Hotel in the UAE capital city. The Desert Islands will comprise eight islands, including the Sir Bani Yas eco-resort – the former environmental showcase of the late UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and an on-shore gate. The exhibition focuses on the significant career opportunities the destination is expected to hold out to Emiratis. It features the destination’s master plan, inspirational images and project models. “We anticipate the destination creating around 6,500 employment opportunities by the time it is fully operational in 2017 – a forecast which falls totally in line with our economic diversification mandate from the Abu Dhabi Government and the directions of both His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Mohammed. The career opportunities will cover a range of disciplines including marine conservation, renewable energy research, destination management and eco-preservation,” explained Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), which manages the ADTA’s tourism assets. “We hope young Emiratis will seize the opportunity of investigating the project thoroughly while, at the same time, residents and visitors will get a glimpse of our future standing on the international tourism scene,” said Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, ADTA and Managing Director, TDIC. TDIC anticipates the destination will attract around 250,000 visitors when the first phase is complete in 2010, rising to over a million a year. The Desert Islands will provide a multitude of experiences encompassing a nature reserve, a cultural destination and a showcase for world-class environmental, conservation and ecological tourism, including the Arabian National Park. In addition to the former Royal nature reserve of Sir Bani Yas Island, it will also comprise Dalma Island and the Discovery Islands – six nearby offshore outcrops - all of which will be linked by a ferry and hydrofoil service, water taxis, private ‘resort’ boat service and regional and sea planes. The destination’s development will be phased at an estimated total investment from both the government and private sector of more than US $3 billion (AED 11.5 billion). When fully operational in 2017, the Desert Islands are expected to annually generate US $ 326 million in tourism revenue. The Desert Islands exhibition is open to the public from 10am to 10pm daily. Ends About Tourism Development & Investment Company: Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) is a public joint stock company established under Law No: 12 of 2005 as decreed by the Abu Dhabi Ruler and UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. TDIC is an independent organisation empowered to manage the tourism investment zones of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which directs and implements strategy for the expansion of the emirate's tourism sector. TDIC will develop the real estate assets that support ADTA's mission of assisting UAE economic diversification through tourism development. TDIC, launched with an initial paid-up capital of AED100 million (US $27.5 million) with its shareholding fully owned by ADTA, operates along strictly commercial lines with its projects being self-sustaining and economically feasible. Its activities include creating development and tourism related concepts for specific sites and locations, disposing of, or repositioning, government-owned tourism related assets, entering into joint ventures with investment partners for assets such as hotels or residential products, as well as serving as the master developer for large scale projects. Asia Outdoor Advertising [AOA]. Set to be the most comprehensive outdoor advertising event in Asia, covering more than 12,000 square metres, AOA is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board [STB] and the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore [4As]. The event will see the arrival of participants from around the Asia-Pacific region such as: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. AOA is targeted at professionals involved in the outdoor advertising industry, ranging from marketers, media owners and media specialists to creative designers, advertising professionals, suppliers and manufacturers. Dedicated to its key objective of promoting the use and standards of outdoor advertising in Asia, AOA aims to facilitate growth and development of outdoor advertising through its three components of exhibition, conference and awards. AOA Exhibition 2007 – Estimated to receive over 300 exhibiting companies from the Asia Pacific countries, the exhibitors’ profile include: outdoor media owners, image libraries, vinyl, lighting and printing suppliers, content and technology providers, and signage and moulding specialists. AOA Conference 2007 – Crafted to engage top level marketers and advertisers, the conference seminars will be conducted by noted professionals from the various fields of advertising, media, research, marketing and other outdoor media specializations. AOA Awards 2007 – Created to honor excellence in the creative use of outdoor media, the awards aim to elevate the standard and consciousness of the medium. The call for entries will commence in the second quarter of 2007. “The event arose as a result of the rising importance of outdoor advertising. Sociological trends highlight that we live in an increasingly mobile society and media expenditure trends have been reflective of that. Meanwhile, advances in technologies related to the outdoor medium have given rise to new opportunities for interaction and engagement,” says Thomas Ang, General Manager of Fuse, “We feel that AOA would be the ideal platform for everyone involved in outdoor advertising to come together and share their expertise in the medium. We will also like to inspire more creativity and greater appreciation for the medium through the AOA Awards.” |  |
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