ETIHAD Holidays has launched a new campaign promising "guaranteed sunshine or your next holiday for free" to attract more UK based visitors to holiday in Abu Dhabi. The initiative aims to bring more business and leisure travelers to the UAE capital over the summer months. The "Abu Dhabi: sunshine guaranteed or your next holiday for free" campaign will apply to every booking that consists of a flight and hotel-inclusive package between May and September. Visitors who experience more than 5mm of rainfall during their stay in Abu Dhabi will receive another holiday free of charge. Etihad Holidays is launching the campaign alongside the opening of its new UK office. In the UK, Etihad Holidays will operate under its own Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL) and as a member of ABTA, the UK's leading travel association. In 2015, more than 230,000 passengers travelled from the UK to Abu Dhabi, a 14 percent rise on figures for 2014 - according to recent statistics released by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. Mohammed Al Bulooki, vice president UAE Commercial at Etihad Airways, said: "Our guests from the United Kingdom are repeatedly telling us that they want the acclaimed Etihad Airways experience to extend to every part of their journey to Abu Dhabi and we aim to deliver on their wishes. We are confident that this amazing destination, which we are proud to call home, will enthral and captivate all those who visit us via our three gateways in the UK. "Abu Dhabi is already a thriving and cosmopolitan tourism hub which has a considerable amount to offer every visitor, whether they are here for the year-round sunshine, the spectacular cultural sites and institutions, or for the ultimate adventure getaway. We are committed to being a key driver in helping to further grow the tourism industry in the Emirate." Etihad Airways currently serves three UK airports, with three flights per day from London Heathrow, two flights per day from Manchester Airport and five flights per week from the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. In addition to purchasing holidays in the UAE, UK guests will be able to choose from more than 300 packages for destinations in China, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Etihad Holidays, launched in 2004, offers dynamically packaged holidays at exceptional rates with many of the world's leading hotel brands and provides an extensive range of additional services including its stopover programme, tours, excursions, family attractions, safaris, and car hire, all of which use the Etihad Airways and partner airline flight network. Etihad Holidays' dedicated agent portal includes product information, package suggestions and options with preferable commission rates to incentivise the trade on bookings. Packages can be booked through our dedicated website, Etihad Holiday offices or your preferred travel agent. For more information about Etihad Holidays, visit www.etihadholidays.co.uk. Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2015 carried 17.4 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to or has announced plans to serve 116 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s. Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional. Etihad Airways, along with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI, also participate in Etihad Airways Partners, a brand that brings together partner airlines to offer customers more choice through improved networks and schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits. For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com.
