GOURMET Abu Dhabi was a 10-day culinary extravaganza launched recently by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) to put the emirate on the international gourmet map. The festival, comprising chateaux dinners, master classes and special events, featured 13 master chefs with 24 Michelin stars between them, five master pâtissiers, 14 gastronomic personalities, six châteaux representatives and 13 hosting establishments in Abu Dhabi itself.

Arab News correspondent Rashed Islam caught up with Lawrence Franklin, strategy and policy division director of ADTA and asked him a few questions on tourism in Abu Dhabi and the emirate’s plans for the future.

How successful has Abu Dhabi Gourmet been and are you happy with the turnout this year?

We have been very happy with the turnout, particularly with the master classes which have all been oversubscribed. The attendance has been very good as well with a mix of people and international visitors as well. People are talking about the event so yes we are very happy. We need to be realistic; this is the first Gourmet Abu Dhabi and there are many reasons why we are holding it. One is obviously to increase the recognition of Abu Dhabi as a tourism destination and the offering of fine dining and gourmet food experiences. Another is to improve what we offer to visitors and that’s why we have experts come to see what we offer and help us strive for excellence.

Can you tell me a bit about upcoming events?

Many have been announced and will be bigger and better versions of events held last year. Examples are the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show 2009 and the Summer in Abu Dhabi which helps us to promote tourism during the summer. Summer in Abu Dhabi is a very clever idea to create an indoor air-conditioned theme park. It will be much larger than last year and features a wide range of activities, rides, fun fairs, cultural events amd cultural activities. We have a range of cultural events including the Al Ain Music Festival, Abu Dhabi Classics and Ramadan and Eid Festival and a year-round calendar of sporting events such as the Red Bull Air Race culminating in Formula One in November which will provide us with worldwide exposure and a substantial tourism boost.

Does Abu Dhabi have sufficient hotel capacity to cope with the number of visitors?

The numbers are difficult to estimate indications point to 50,000 visitors, both regional and international. Hotels in Abu Dhabi are at high occupancy rates now but by Nov. 1, we will have several thousand additional rooms in the market. We think we will be all right and there will also probably be some commuting from Dubai as well.

Can you give us a rough idea of what Abu Dhabi is investing in tourism this year?

By the time you factor in the combined expenditure of agencies such as ADTA, the tourism industry and developers, you are talking about billions of dirhams.

Hotel prices in Abu Dhabi are reportedly higher than in Dubai. Why is that?

I don’t think anyone would deny that there are supply and demand issues with accommodation in Abu Dhabi at the moment and that’s why part of our strategy is to increase the amount of accommodation in the emirate. We hope to double the numbers by 2012.

Which countries does ADTA primarily target for visits to Abu Dhabi?

Aside from the region, we target key European markets such as the UK, Germany, France and Italy and we are also looking at China and Australia.

What is the time frame for Saadiyat Island and is it on schedule?

Saadiyat has a delivery time frame up to 2018 but the exciting news is components will be opening all the time. All its development has been reviewed and is basically on schedule. We are actually opening the golf course later this year and the bridge will be completed in September/October. From then on people will have an easy access to the island. The key musems — the Louvre and the Guggenheim — are set to open by the beginning of 2013.

How is Abu Dhabi preparing itself to cope with the increased demand for transportation and other services in the future?

ADTA is working with the relevant agencies to ensure that tourism is fully factored into plans that they have for improving public transport in Abu Dhabi. There is a Surface Transport Masterplan from the department of transport which details greatly enhanced services including bus networks, a light rail metro network, subways and a quite extensive water transport network around Abu Dhabi. Everybody knows Abu Dhabi is basically an island, but until you actually look at it from the air you don’t realize how absolutely accessible so much of it is by water. I think water will be a fantastic way to move around and building water transport into the comprehensive transportation strategy will be a plus for Abu Dhabi.

Any plans to work in conjunction with Dubai’s Tourism Authority?

Fundamentally, Abu Dhabi and Dubai target different markets. Both are separate emirates within UAE. In many ways we complement each other and add to the variety and diversity of the UAE tourism. In the future the nature of our relationship may change but at the moment there’s Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing and ADTA with both working to build a tourism industry in their emirate.

Are there any heritage sights you would recommend to visitors?

The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage has done a lot of work with historic sites. These range from oases to ancient burial sites and even paleontological digs. We look at ways to preserve and interpret these and use them as tourists attractions. The reopening of Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain is a recent example of what I mean. In Abu Dhabi there is work to be done on Al-Hosn Palace. There are also plans to redevelop souks, and to preserve and develop the softer heritage elements such as local handicrafts.

Do you think you have an edge over Dubai in terms of how attractive Abu Dhabi is to tourists?

We’re keen to offer highend luxury and also a cultural experience. We want to be sure that what we do is actually presenting, preserving and delivering an actual Emirati cultural experience to visitors. We are really talking about a contribution to sharing and developing global culture as well. How we are working with the Louvre is a very good example of bringing global culture to Abu Dhabi and tourism taking Abu Dhabi’s culture to the world.