The last year’s opening of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi was a great addition to Yas Island’s immersive experiences and award-winning attractions, enhancing the appeal of Abu Dhabi as an international destination.
Marina Cipriano, General Manager of Experience Hub- one stop destination partner and promotional arm of Yas Island said, “India is one of the key source markets for us. Last year the growth from this market was 20-25 per cent over 2017. The opening of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi has resulted in Indian travellers spending more time on the Yas Island.”
Yas Island is also a popular holiday option for domestic travellers in the region who prefer it as a weekend destination. Efforts are now being made to promote Yas Island as a preferred MICE destination.
“MICE is the fastest growing segment in the UAE. Ten years back the first attraction on the island was the Formula 1 track. However, today we have introduced a plethora of attractions. We may introduce a new MICE facility with a capacity of 18,000 seats in the near future. Already we have a Yas Conference Centre and a circuit that can be used for MICE activities. Our theme parks can also be used for organising events,” said Cipriano. Experience Hub considers Indian wedding as another key focus segment.
World’s largest Warner Bros. branded indoor theme park, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, features a total of 29 state-of-the-art rides, interactive family-friendly attractions and unique live entertainment, as well as a variety of authentically themed dining and shopping outlets.
The increasingly popular Yas Island Abu Dhabi is home to an incredible array of award-winning leisure attractions including other iconic theme parks like Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, in addition to Yas Mall- Abu Dhabi’s largest shopping mall, a remarkable Yas Links Golf-Course, Yas Marina Circuit as well as a diverse range of hospitality offering, and 165 dining experiences that cater to all dietary preferences.
Yas Island’s yearly line-up of more than 400 events includes international shows, sporting events, family festivals as well as cultural celebrations including the festival of lights, Diwali.
The last year also saw the launch of Experience Hub’s trade portal- Experiencehub.com, providing a new platform to engage with its partners. The portal, exclusively available for travel agents and tour operators, offers direct access to holiday packages and tickets of attractions in Yas Island at exclusive rates, among other services. The portal keeps travel agent partners aware about the latest experiences and opportunities available in Yas Island.
Since the launch, Experience Hub has successfully on-boarded a large number of partners across India, extending its reach to cities including Ahmedabad, Pune, Kolkata, Jaipur and Chandigarh, with many more expected to be added in the next few months.
“There’s always something new happening on Yas Island – the destination continues to expand its offering of world-class attractions to deliver leisure experiences that are truly unmatched anywhere else. We are confident that Yas Island’s popularity in the Indian market will continue to grow immensely, particularly with the nine million Indians expected to travel to the GCC region by 2020,” said Cipriano.
Yas Island has strengthened its presence in India and has opened a new office in Bengaluru this year apart from its other existing offices in New Delhi and Mumbai in order to work closely with the travel agents in India.
“With the support of our key partner, the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, we are committed to make Abu Dhabi one of the region’s foremost tourism destinations, driving higher visitation and longer stays in the nation’s capital,” concluded Cipriano.