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YAS ISLAND OFFERS THE FULL FAMILY PACKAGE THIS SUMMER
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Yas Island is getting ready for the summer with a range of family-friendly packages that will offer access to attractions to suit all ages. Under the banner ‘Yas Island: cool for summer’, the venue is highlighting the array of activities that can be enjoyed during the hotter months. “The family market is
really important and it’s something we’ve really tried to address, both for local and
international markets,” said Clive Dwyer, Yas Island Destination Management Director. “We’ve tried to make made
sure we’re welcoming for all age ranges and that there are things for mum and dad to do as well as for the kids, ” he added. The centrepieces of the
destination are indoor, air-conditioned theme park
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with the market representing 18 percent of the total guest count for the two destinations. What’s more, GCC travellers
are the best placed to spend big on luxury travel purchases, with GCC nationals paying out 430 percent more on accommodation compared to other nationalities, according to a report by leading global fi nancial services fi rm, Credit Suisse. “People tend to forget that it
is not only international visitor numbers that are increasing at an exponential rate, the growth in intra-regional travel has had the greatest impact on tourism numbers over the last few years,” remarked Rotana President and CEO, Omer Kaddouri. “The GCC is the strongest
growth market for destinations that include Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar and this is refl ected in our customer profi le at hotels across the region. “We have one of the
youngest populations in the world; nowhere more so than in the Gulf’s largest and wealthiest country, Saudi Arabia. These and other GCC travellers are increasingly choosing to holiday and shop in neighbouring destinations. They are accustomed to quality and service standards far superior to those in the west and
increasingly, in Asia, because our tourism and hospitality infrastructure is better, even if service is comparable.” Saudi Arabia drove the
largest number of visits to Dubai in 2013 (1.4 million visits), according to the new report from data analytics provider STR Global, titled ‘Middle East Hotel Market Insight’. The next biggest source market was India with 900,000 visits and the UK (750,000 visits), the study revealed. Dubai’s growing number of
arrivals are drawn to the city’s world-renowned attractions and industry experts acknowledge, as the emirate and its fellow Gulf tourism hubs continue to roll out new cutting-edge infrastructure and landmark attractions, it will become harder for more traditional destinations to compete. “People come to the Gulf to
see the future, today. These cities are being built in front of our very eyes, rather than a century or more ago,” said Kaddouri. “That has tremendous appeal, especially when combined with the staple attractions of tourism – sunshine, beaches, shopping and a unique culture.” Airlift into the region plays
a crucial role and it’s not only the major Gulf airlines that are contributing to the intra-regional
travel boom. fl ydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith revealed at this week’s show that 60 percent of new passengers visiting Dubai from the GCC had travelled by air with the low-cost airline. “That means that for every 10 new passengers from the region to Dubai, six fl ew here with us,” he said. fl ydubai is also setting new
standards in the budget airline industry having introduced a business class offering last year. Following this, Saudi Arabian carrier fl ynas launched a business class cabin in January. The Gulf’s full-service carriers
are also “raising the bar”, according to Qatar Airways CEO HE Akbar Al Baker, who on the fi rst day of Arabian Travel Market, revealed the airline’s new A380 fi t-out featuring the “widest fi rst-class seat unit” in the industry. The announcement came as its key competitor, Etihad Airways, unveiled ‘The Residence by Etihad’, a three-room cabin on board the A380 that it has hailed the world's “most luxurious living space in the air”. The development of ever
more luxurious hotels, resorts and air services is clearly fuelled by an increasingly discerning traveller who, in this part of the world, will fi nd plenty to meet their high expectations.
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld water park, which offers plenty of shaded areas as well as cool water- based attractions. In addition, there are day spas, night golf and a host of dining options. “Our product array
spans from the five-hour experience – the theme park – to the one-hour experience, such as a stroll on the boardwalk,” said Dwyer. “We put all of that together in a package for not only the local market but also for markets such as Russia and India, which have responded very well to these offers. “All the hotel infrastructure
has been very carefully analysed to make sure there are good services for families, right down to ensuring safety at the swimming pool. It’s really in the DNA of Yas.”
Visit stand UAE2310 WHERE LUXURY IS THE STANDARD
AWARD 2014 Continued from page 1
INDIA RECEIVES NEW FRONTIERS
as this one to assure all who wish to visit the affected areas that all facilities are up and running and even more effective systems are in place to manage any such acts of nature in future.” Babu added: “The two
affected states – the picturesque Himalayan state of Uttarakhand and Odisha on the east coast – are both extremely popular with visitors and extensive tourism infrastructure had to be rebuilt after being destroyed by the calamities, which has been done quickly and effectively, incorporating lessons learnt from the tragedies.” Walsh added: “We launched
the New Frontiers Award in 2005 to recognise outstanding contribution to tourism development in the face of overwhelming adversity. Contributing to the recovery process, the recipient of the award, India, will receive US$10,000 worth of exhibition space at Arabian Travel Market 2015. We offer the affected tourism authorities a platform to send a message of renewal to the travel industry, highlighting their rebuilding efforts.” Philippines and Pakistan
were the two other nominees this year, the former for its efforts to rebuild after the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, and the latter for actions that followed a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that devastated its Baluchistan province.
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