Chinese tourists to Abu Dhabi increase 36 pct

(MENAFN) Abu Dhabi tourist numbers from China increased 36 percent reaching 23.618 tourists in the year's first seven months while the emirate expects more to visit the lucrative Chinese holiday-makers, according to Khaleej Times. Mohammed Al Dhaheri, director of strategy and policy, TCA Abu Dhabi, said the need to tailor to specific Chinese needs is now taken into consideration in the emirate's tourism industry. Al Dhaheri added: "Local stakeholders are developing specific packages catering for peak Chinese travel times, such as Golden Week and Chinese New Year and are increasingly employing Mandarin and Cantonese speaking staff to take advantage of opportunities afforded by the growing air links from China."