The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau (ADCB) have formed a strategic partnership to promote corporate meetings and incentive travel in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital.

The partnership, which was announced at IBTM World 2019, has Abu Dhabi playing an active role in the SITE community, participating in all the association’s global events and making use of SITE’s extensive educational programming including the Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS) certification. It will also host the 2020 edition of the SITE Executive Summit, which was held in Istanbul, Turkey this year.

The partnership kicks off in early January when a delegation of SITE international buyers and DMC experts will travel to Abu Dhabi to conduct a destination audit and work with the local MICE community on product development and positioning.

“Our partnership with SITE is aimed at raising the profile of Abu Dhabi as a leading destination for incentive travel experiences by highlighting the capital’s unique characteristics, excellent services and outstanding offerings,” said Mubarak Hamad Al Shamsi, director, Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau. “Abu Dhabi’s high level of safety, resilient infrastructure, combined with its rich culture and wide range of events and unique venues—such as Louvre Abu Dhabi and Ferrari World—make it the ultimate destination for experiential incentive events.”

Didier Scaillet, CIS, CITP, CEO of SITE, points out that Abu Dhabi is one of the world’s most exciting emerging destinations thanks to judicious and sustained investment in product and expertise.

“SITE is proud to add the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau to its constellation of strategic partners and looks forward to working with the team there to highlight its extraordinary appeal as a top location for truly unique incentive travel experiences,” he said. “Moreover, SITE’s vision to build and bridge cultures chimes perfectly with Abu Dhabi’s championing of creativity, opportunity, intercultural dialogue and cultural exchange. These are the values that underpin our strategic partnership and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.”