Tourism & Hospitality | Tuesday 5 May, 2015 1:36 am |

Capping off a stellar first year,
Expedia’s 2014 ‘Rookie of the Year’ in Abu Dhabi is looking to build its growing European clientele by forging strategic tie-ups and leveraging the UAE capital’s tourism boom

With the Abu Dhabi hospitality industry making its presence felt as the capital’s best-performing real estate segment, Southern Sun Abu Dhabi is setting itself ambitious targets for growth as it celebrates one year of success and seeks to build on its strong first-year report card by capitalising on the emirate’s status as one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the world.
Since launching in May 2014, Southern Sun Abu Dhabi has established itself as a hotel of choice for both leisure and business travellers, winning the “Rookie of the Year” award from Expedia and ranking consistently among the top 2 hotels in the capital on TripAdvisor. Guest figures for the first year were significantly higher than expected, with the hotel’s leisure business surpassing estimates by 29%, driven by a strong growth in its European guest profile, particularly tourists from Germany.
Now, as it steps into its second year with a strong presence at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2015 - the region’s leading travel and tourism event which takes place in Dubai from 4 – 7 May 2015 - Southern Sun Abu Dhabi is gearing up for its next phase of growth by building its European clientele and tapping into the opportunities opened out by the launch of new flight routes to Abu Dhabi from European destinations – including direct flights from Venice and Milan and a doubling of frequency on the Berlin-Abu Dhabi route.
The hotel has also forged strategic partnerships with several international airlines in a move aimed at boosting tourism to the UAE capital, and continues to work alongside the Tourism & Culture Authority to promote Abu Dhabi as a global tourist destination through a variety of initiatives.
“As Abu Dhabi surges into the future at breakneck speed, demand continues to outstrip supply growth within the emirate’s hospitality sector,” said Pierre Delfau, General Manager of Southern Sun Abu Dhabi. “The continued strong growth in European tourist arrivals and the emergence of new, high-potential feeder markets such as South Africa and Emerging Asia indicate an ongoing shift in the composition of inbound tourist sources to Abu Dhabi. The soaring tourist numbers from Europe, with Germany leading the way, have had a crucial role to play in offsetting the impact of a decline in Russian tourist arrivals.”
He added, “Tourists from the GCC, who have traditionally been the backbone of the UAE’s hospitality sector, continue to be an important business generator for the capital’s hotels and form a very large share of Southern Sun Abu Dhabi’s total guests.”
A recent report by JLL, the world's leading real estate investment and advisory firm, ranked the hospitality sector in Abu Dhabi as the best performer within the capital’s stable real estate market, and analysts expect the purple patch to sustain through 2015 and beyond as government efforts to boost tourism numbers continue strongly.
With a range of facilities enhanced by warm and welcoming South African hospitality, Southern Sun Abu Dhabi caters to those seeking both business and leisure amenities under one roof. The hotel - located at a walking distance from Abu Dhabi Corniche, in close proximity to the city’s major landmarks - offers an enticing blend of international and traditional cuisines across five distinctive outlets.
Southern Sun Abu Dhabi will be located in Hall 2 at ATM 2015, which takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

About Southern Sun Abu Dhabi
Offering breath-taking views of the Corniche and the Capital’s skyline, Southern Sun Abu Dhabi is the latest addition to the Tsogo Sun hotel portfolio, bringing deluxe hospitality to a prime location in Abu Dhabi’s business district. The hotel’s 353 rooms offer every comfort and amenity required for a successful business trip or holiday, along with superb leisure facilities including a reflection pond, roof-top gym and buzzing dining destinations, all accompanied with the warm and welcoming service synonymous with Southern Sun.