WAM Abu Dhabi, Jul 02th, 2012 (WAM) - Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) will lead a three-stop roadshow in Australia's key cities, as the emirate looks sets to capitalise on increasing in-bound tourism potential from the Southern Hemisphere powerhouse.

In 2011, 34,930 Australians stayed in Abu Dhabi's hotels - up 35% on the previous year. Monthly year-on-year figures also continue to see positive upward trending growth, with the latest statistics showing a 24% increase in Australian hotel guests in May, over the same month in 2011, rising from 2,832 to 3,519.

Increasingairlinks between the emirate and Australia are a key driver for the increased growth. Etihad Airways, the UAE's award-winning national airline, currently operates 21 weekly flights to Abu Dhabi. V Australia flies three-times a week to Sydney from the UAE capital, making it the first Australian airline with a dedicated Middle East service for over 20 years.

Capitalising on the increasing interest in the emirate, seven of Abu Dhabi's key destination stakeholders will take part in the road shows - which go to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney - to provide agents with insights into current and future developments and general destination information.

These include Etihad Airways, 5-star hotel properties, Emirates Palace and Jumeirah at Etihad Towers; tour operators, Kurban Tours and Arabian Adventures as well as leading Abu Dhabi developer, Tourism Development '&' Investment Company (TDIC), said a release.

"Abu Dhabi has been on Australian tourists' minds for some time, and we continue to see positive increases in visitors to the emirate. This will be a great opportunity to get on the ground, face-to-face with the country's top tour operators to unearth the business possibilities and build on this two-way, win-win opportunity," said Mubarak Al Nuaimi, International Promotions Manager, TCA Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi has also welcomed a wealth of Australian stars to the emirate, which have increased interest in the emirate.

These included top names such as Olympian Ian Thorpe, who trained in Abu Dhabi; professional surfer,Layne Beachley; top golfers Jason Day and Adam Scott who has bought a villa on Saadiyat Island; Australian football captain, Lucas Neil, who plays for local side, Al Jazeera; leading triathlete, Nikki Butterfield, winner of the US250,000 Abu Dhabi International Triathlon; Masterchef Australia's George Calombaris who took part in the 2012 Gourmet Abu Dhabi food festival, famed all-action weatherman for Sunrise, Grant Denyer, and Dannii Minogue, a brand ambassador for Etihad Airways.

Aussie sporting interest in the emirate is also revving up ahead of the Aussie V8 Supercars series returning to the capital as a support race for the 2012 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - to be held November 2-4.

The TCA Abu Dhabi roadshow series starts today in Brisbane, followed by Melbourne on 3rd July and Sydney on 4th July.

WAM/AB