By Pallavi Sharma
India’s role in Yas Island’s 2025 Growth
2025 has had a fantastic start. January was strong, as expected, and since April, we’ve seen exceptional momentum. Compared to last year, we’re tracking solid growth. India, in particular, remains our largest source market, and it’s still growing — we saw a 44% increase in visitation from India last year and are seeing similar trends this year.
We’ve invested heavily in India over the past five years — from celebrity-led campaigns with Ranveer Singh in 2022 to our latest blockbuster Zindagi Ko Yas Bol campaign featuring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, which has been our most successful yet. This campaign alone received over 1.5 billion views and 5 million likes, outperforming even our global Chief Island Officer campaigns with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Momoa.
Global Strategy behind Yas Island’s success
The UAE’s population alone cannot sustain the scale of Yas Island’s offerings — with four theme parks and more in the pipeline — so our growth strategy was always international. India emerged as one of our key catchment markets due to its deep historic ties with the UAE and rising outbound travel potential.
There are only about 90 million passport holders in a population of 1.4 billion — the potential is massive. We also recognized the growing wealth not just in India’s metros but increasingly in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Our 10-member India team works across sales, marketing, MICE, and weddings to tap into that growing demand.
What’s new at Yas Island
We aim to be one of the top 10 family destinations in the world, and I personally believe we’ll be number one. We’re expanding Yas Waterworld with 12 new rides this year.
We’ve also announced a Harry Potter-themed land as part of Warner Bros. World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi and recently launched teamLab Phenomena on Saadiyat Island — a unique immersive art experience. There’s always something new coming, so stay tuned.
India-focused Campaigns and Collaborations
Our India campaigns are both above and below the line — from billboards to front-page newspaper ads. We don’t just create visibility; we ensure conversion through deep partnerships with trade. Tourism is a complex ecosystem. We work closely with our Indian partners through co-op campaigns, leveraging their distribution to drive actual bookings. It’s a formula that’s working exceptionally well.
2024 Visitor Milestones
In 2024, Yas Island welcomed 38 million visits, a 10% increase over the previous year. Our hotel occupancy averaged 82%, peaking at 90% in August, which speaks to the appeal of our year-round indoor attractions, especially during summer.
Theme parks alone saw a 20% growth in attendance over 2023. From India, visitation rose by 44%, while the GCC saw a 56% increase. These are strong indicators that Yas Island’s appeal continues to expand across key international markets.
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