Priyanka Saxena Ray
Yas Island is one of the world’s fastest growing leisure and entertainment destinations, located on the golden shores of Abu Dhabi – just 20 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and 50 minutes from Dubai. Yas Island offers holidaymakers a diverse mix of award-winning leisure and entertainment experiences, from one-of-a-kind theme parks, world-class shopping and superb dining, to a golf course, exciting water and motor sports, and spectacular musical, entertainment and family events, all within the 25 sq. km Island. Today, Yas Island is home to the award-winning theme parks Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, the record-breaking CLYMB Abu Dhabi. It also houses Yas Marina Circuit (home to the FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX), Yas Marina, the award-winning Yas Links golf course, as well as Abu Dhabi’s largest mall, Yas Mall, Yas Bay Waterfront – Abu Dhabi’s vibrant day to night destination featuring Pier71, a three-kilometre Boardwalk, and a variety of world-class dining, leisure and entertainment brands.
“The Ranveer Singh campaign has been a major hit as we have successfully been able to convey what we wanted, especially to the Indian public. The idea behind having him on board was to really find an ambassador that suits the brand of Yas Island and reflects the energy and passion that the destination has to offer. Ranveer is full of energy and brings a lot of vibrancy with him. Yas island is a young destination. We’ve been in existence for about over 10 years but in the last couple of years, it’s really nurtured to a full destination. We are like the Orlando of the Middle East. A lot of attractions and activities have been added in the last couple of years. We have the Warner Brothers, which is the largest indoor theme park in the world. we’ve got Ferrari World, which is one of the world’s most famous brands and the first and largest Ferrari indoor theme park,” says Liam Findlay.
The Ranveer Singh Campaign was launched in April this year and the response following it has been great. Infact, the Summer of 2022 saw a huge influx in tourists from India to Yas Island. “Ranveer Singh represents the energy that Yas Island offers and I think people connected with it as our metrics rated the campaign to be a great success. This Summer, we have seen nearly 100% recovery versus the 2019 numbers. The first quarter of 2022 was still enveloped with some restrictions but April onwards, things have been on an upward swing. The summer months have registered a 150% recovery in the India market. We’ve actually seen quicker rebound from India than any other part of the world, not just with leisure and holidaymakers but also with MICE gatherings. We have not just reached the 2019 figures but also smashed it! All this has happened because of our great teamwork and our 360-degree marketing approach. We have expanded our presence in India in four cities and all our regional teams have put in the right kind of efforts to get these results,” he added.
Concluding the interview, he shared, “The traveller today has evolved. He no longer wants to follow a set itinerary set by the travel agent but wishes to explore all aspects of a destination. They do their research online and come prepared on what to expect, what to visit, where to go, what to eat, etc. Thus, the experiences too have to be enhanced to match customer’s expectations. In the past, we’ve had some great success with Indian weddings, but now we’re putting dedicated resources and efforts into making sure that we drive that market further. For me, India will always be an important market to us. We will continue to invest heavily into this. Keeping India’s long history with UAE in mind, the tourist traffic between the two countries, the proximity, connection and other factors in mind, I think we’re really setting up Yas Island for the future with Indian market.”
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