Etihad Airways and the DCT Abu Dhabi celebrate success of ‘Abu Dhabi Stopover Programme’

The put up Etihad Airways and the DCT Abu Dhabi rejoice success of ‘Abu Dhabi Stopover Programme’ appeared first on TD (Journey Every day Media) Journey Every day Media.

Picture: (from left flanked by Etihad Cabin Crew) Tiago Phillimore, Etihad Director Locations, Merchandise & Holidays; Aysha Al Kaabi, Etihad VP of Business Enablement & Engagement; Abdulla Yousuf, DCT Director Worldwide Operations; Haitham Al Khamis, DCT Part Head of Aviation, Cruise & World Partnerships; and Nahla Al Shorbaji DCT Challenge Supervisor Aviation.

Division of Tradition and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Etihad Airways celebrated the  success of the Abu Dhabi Stopover Programme at Arabian Journey Market 2025, with customer numbers persevering with to speed up at a powerful tempo.

The Stopover Programme has achieved 25,000 bookings within the first 4 months of 2025, representing a 47% development in gross sales in comparison with the identical interval in 2024. Extra considerably, the variety of guests has surged to 44,000 between January and April 2025, marking a considerable 76% enhance over the 25,000 guests recorded throughout the identical interval final 12 months.

The success of the Abu Dhabi Stopover Programme extends past preliminary visits, with many travellers who first skilled the emirate throughout a brief stopover returning for longer devoted holidays. This development builds on the sturdy efficiency all through 2024, which welcomed 85,000 worldwide stopover guests in comparison with 12,000 in 2023. Etihad Airways anticipates internet hosting greater than 130,000 stopover visitors in 2025, persevering with to deliver incremental guests to Abu Dhabi at an accelerated tempo.

The programme attracts guests from throughout Etihad’s world community, with notable curiosity from the USA and Canada, the place travellers are more and more breaking their journey to expertise Abu Dhabi’s cultural points of interest. European guests from the UK, Germany, and France are discovering the emirate’s distinctive mix of custom and modernity. The programme additionally resonates with travellers from India, Japan, and South Korea, highlighting Abu Dhabi’s numerous enchantment to worldwide guests.

The programme’s enchantment has been additional enhanced by the brand new Abu Dhabi Cross launched in March, which gives extra advantages for travellers searching for to maximise their time within the emirate.

The digital Abu Dhabi Cross gives guests with free airport transfers, a vacationer SIM card with information connectivity, limitless entry to public buses, and 24-hour limitless entry to the hop-on-hop-off vacationer bus community. Cross holders additionally get pleasure from unique reductions of as much as 15% at main points of interest together with Qasr Al Watan, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Yas Island’s leisure locations akin to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld.

Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director Common for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, stated: “Abu Dhabi’s strategic funding in data-led advertising and marketing, numerous programming, and a culture-first strategy is yielding vital tourism development, evidenced by 1.4 million Q1 2025 in a single day visitors. With the success of our stopover programme, we purpose to strengthen partnerships and broaden our world attain, guaranteeing our distinctive cultural identification stays central to our long-term tourism imaginative and prescient.

“The multi-sensory teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi opened on 18 April and is the most recent addition to Saadiyat Cultural District. This 17,000 sqm immersive artwork house options transformative reveals on the intersection of artwork, science, and expertise, including to the emirate’s rising portfolio of world-class experiences.”

Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad Airways Chief Govt Officer, stated: “Our Stopover Programme continues to exceed expectations as extra travellers select to interrupt their journey and uncover Abu Dhabi. The 76% development in guests through the first 4 months of 2025 demonstrates the programme’s accelerating momentum. By providing as much as two complimentary lodge nights, we’re giving guests the proper alternative to expertise our outstanding vacation spot. The introduction of the Abu Dhabi Cross has additional enhanced this expertise, offering sensible advantages and unique reductions that enable guests to benefit from their time within the emirate.”

The typical size of keep for stopover guests has elevated since 2024, with travellers exploring extra points of interest throughout their go to. This development helps the targets of Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Technique 2030, which goals to draw 39.3 million guests, create 178,000 new jobs within the tourism sector, and contribute AED 90 billion to Abu Dhabi’s GDP by 2030.

Trying forward, DCT Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways plan to additional improve the customer expertise via continued collaboration, with bold targets set for worldwide customer arrivals within the coming years.

The put up Etihad Airways and the DCT Abu Dhabi rejoice success of ‘Abu Dhabi Stopover Programme’ appeared first on Journey Every day Media.