Yas Island sets sights on vast Russian tourist market

Yas Island, the U.A.E.'s fastest emerging holiday destination, will grow its global base of potential customers by tapping into the lucrative Russian tourist market at a major upcoming fair in Moscow for travel and tourism.
The 20th International Trade Fair for Travel and Tourism, known as OTDYKH 2014, will be held from 16th to 19th of September in the IEC Crocus Expo in Moscow. The event is the leading international autumn trade fair for leisure travel in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Over 62,000 visitors are expected to attend this four-day exhibition.
"With over 50 million outbound travellers each year and growing, Russia and the CIS are immensely important markets for the global tourist industry," said Karim El Guanaini, Vice President at Yas Island Destination Management. "This trade fair serves as the perfect platform to reach out to new businesses and raise awareness of Yas Island, which is already a popular destination for Russians seeking an exciting break under the sun." Russians who want to holiday in the U.A.E. can easily travel on daily connections to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and statistics show that this is exactly what more and more are doing. Around 16,800 visitors came from Russia to Abu Dhabi alone in 2012, according to the Tourism Decision Matrix. This figure is expected to grow by 29.5 percent annually to reach 61,100 by 2017.
Russia is one of Abu Dhabi's 20 largest hotel guest markets, accounting for 19,600 hotel guests in 2012, up 40 percent from the previous year, according to Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA). Each guest stayed an average of 5.4 nights to accumulate 105,000 guest nights that year. Around 92 percent of visitors came for leisure purposes, with many drawn to Yas Island's unique attractions.
"In order to maximise the potential of this growing market, Yas Island will continue to develop new offerings and Russian-focused material aimed at encouraging Russian tourists to make Yas Island a part of their vacation to the U.A.E.," said El Guanaini. "With Yas Mall soon to open and the F1 season around the corner, now is the ideal time to engage the Russian marketplace and demonstrate Yas Island's vibrancy and compatibility with what Russian tourists want." Yas Island offers numerous activities that are popular with Russian tourists, including the 2014 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX , the sporting event of the year at Yas Marina Circuit, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the only Ferrari-branded theme park in the world, Yas Links Abu Dhabi, the award winning 18-hole championship course, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, home to 45 rides, slides and attractions, Yas Marina, a vibrant dining and entertainment district and Yas Beach, a relaxing hidden oasis.
Visitors can also time their trips to coincide with concerts from some of the world's greatest acts – which have included Madonna, Justin Timberlake, and Rihanna in the past – at venues such as du Arena or du Forum. Adventurous tourists will be able to find out more about Yas Island and the U.A.E. on tours with Captain Tony's Charter Boats or Seawings Seaplane Tours.
Yas Island is located just seven minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport, 25 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and 45 minutes from the commercial hub of Dubai.