Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) has set up a dedicated industry development committee (IDC) to drive the retail sector in the emirate.
The committee, comprising representatives of 14 leading retail operations, met for the first time this week to begin talks on identifying issues impacting the industry. It also aims to devise tactics “for meshing the sector more into Abu Dhabi’s overall tourism proposition”.
The move comes as neighbour Dubai attracts a vast number of tourists on the back of its reputation for luxury shopping, including giant malls such as Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates.
“Retail plays a key role in enhancing the visitor experience, particularly for some of our key emerging markets such as India, China and Russia,” said Mohammed Al Dhaheri, quality and performance manager, TCA Abu Dhabi, who is chairing the authority’s retail IDC.