As the UAE continues to attract record numbers of visitors and builds on its reputation as the regions undeniable tourism magnet,the hospitality sector in the Emirates is once again witnessing accelerated growth, thanks to the countrys diversified tourism offering, strong air connectivity and all-aroundeconomic growth. With Dubai recently crowned as the worlds number one destination for hotels by TripAdvisor, and with Abu Dhabi expected to surpass its target of attracting 3.5 million hotel guests in 2015, the UAE which accounts for 41 per cent of total investment in the travel and tourism sector in the Middle East seems on track to achieve projected tourism revenues of USD 7.5 billion by 2016, driven by rising visitor arrivals from countries such as the UK, Saudi Arabia and India.

Buoyed by the particularly sharp increase in guest figures from the UK which is emerging into a key tourist feeder market to the UAE Rotanais stepping up its marketing activities in London to tap into outbound British travelers and promote the Rotana brandsin the UK market, while positioning the UAE as a top leisure and business tourism destination among the local populace. The UAE continues to climb up the popularity charts for tourists from the UK, who account for a growing share of total visitor arrivals in the Emirates and who have been assuming greater prominence within the regions evolving travel and tourism landscape, said Omer Kaddouri, President & CEO of Rotana. The UK also happens to be one of the top source markets for Rotana, with tourist inflow from the country making up as much as 19% of our business,and in 2014 we welcomed more than 500,000 guests from the UK.

Rotana properties are already the first choice for an increasing number of British tourists visiting the Middle East, and to capitalize on the robust growth in tourist arrivals from the UK, we are launching an extensive marketing campaign in London built around the mobile taxi and busesadvertising concepts to drive more traffic to our propertiesand give a further push to the tourism sector in the UAE, Kaddouri said.

The year-long campaign will see Rotana reach out to key target audiences throughout London and beyond through the city-wide deployment of a fleet of Londons famous black taxis and red buses, each decked out with the Rotana name and logo. Building on the success of a similar initiative undertaken in 2014, the liveried fleet will feature over 100 cars, double last years tally. According to the 2014 Annual Research of the World Travel & Tourism Council, total contribution (direct and indirect) of Travel & Tourism to the UAEs GDP was AED 117.4 billion in 2013, and is forecast to rise to AED 167.4 billionin 2024.