ETIHAD HOLIDAYS, a division of Etihad Airways, is launching services in the United Kingdom (UK), designed to cater for growing demand from one of the airline's key global markets. An extensive range of Etihad Holidays packages in the UAE are now available, supporting the airline's aim to bring greater business and leisure travelers to Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. UK travelers can now purchase packages at a full range of hotels in Abu Dhabi city, Saadiyat Island, and Yas Island, with a full range of tours and excursions including desert safaris, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, as well as boat and ferry trips. The UK is Etihad Holidays' first venture outside the Middle East, reflecting its growing expertise in providing customers with the ideal package of accommodation, excursions, transfers and Etihad Airways flights. The new operation provides secure, seamless and fully dynamic online booking of holiday packages and exclusive offers at the new website www.etihadholidays.co.uk. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Etihad Holidays has expanded considerably in our home market and regionally, with popular retail centres across the UAE and preferred distribution partnerships in the Middle East. “It is a proud moment to now take our established Holidays brand internationally to further boost growing tourism numbers into Abu Dhabi and the UAE and to ensure a growing market can benefit from our attractive range of packages. “Etihad Airways has a strong customer base in the UK, using our three times a day service from Heathrow and double daily from Manchester as well as regions served by our codeshare partners, so the international expansion of our Holidays operation to this market makes perfect sense.” In addition to holidays in the UAE, UK customers can now purchase more than 300 breaks in China, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, with the choice set to expand further in the coming months. Etihad Holidays UK bookings are ATOL protected and operate to ABTA's code of conduct. Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, began operations in 2003, and in 2012 carried 10.3 million passengers. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad Airways serves 94 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, with a fleet of 78 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and over 80 aircraft on firm order, including 41 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 10 Airbus A380s, the world's largest passenger aircraft. — SG
