Etihad hails success of Abu Dhabi stopover programme

Monday, 05 May, 2025 0

Etihad Airways, alongside the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi celebrated the success of the Abu Dhabi stopover programme at Arabian Travel Market 2025.

They say visitor numbers continue to accelerate at an impressive pace.

The Stopover Programme has garnered 25,000 bookings in the first four months of 2025, representing 47% growth compared to 2024.

The number of visitors grew to 44,000 through April 2025, marking a substantial 76% increase.

The programme welcomed 85,000 international stopover visitors last year.

Etihad Airways anticipates more than 130,000 stopover guests in total in 2025.

The programme attracts visitors from across Etihad’s global network, with notable interest from the US and Canada.

The programme’s appeal has been cemented by the new Abu Dhabi Pass launched in March, which provides additional benefits for travellers.

The digital Abu Dhabi Pass offers free airport transfers, a tourist SIM card with data connectivity, unlimited access to public buses, and 24-hour unlimited access to the hop-on-hop-off tourist bus network.

Pass holders also enjoy discounts of up to 15% at leading attractions including Qasr Al Watan, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Yas Island’s attractions Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld.

Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad Airways CEO, said: “By offering up to two complimentary hotel nights, we’re giving visitors the perfect opportunity to experience our destination.”

The average length of stay for stopover visitors has increased since 2024, with travellers exploring more attractions during their visit.

Learn more about : Etihad Airways ( United Kingdom )

below social share icons

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

For over 18 years and over 106 completed events, the Travel & Adventure Show has connected over 2.5 million travel enthusiasts, over 15,000 unique Travel Advisors ...

We’re here to provide the very best experience in train travel. From booking your ticket, to asking us a question on the platform and getting settled onboard our train...

Central Florida’s Polk County is conveniently located between Orlando and Tampa, and an easy drive to Central Florida attractions and the Gulf and Atlantic beaches. Po...

Atout France guides and supports the French regions with their development strategy and helps set up investment projects in order to boost the tourism offering and rai...

Queensland – where it’s rude not to stare Here in Queensland, there’s plenty to do. But there’s even more to find. Like swimming through the World Heritage-listed Grea...

STA was established to support the growth of the travel and tourism sector by serving the needs of tourism companies and other commercial partners. To promote Saudi Ar...

In 2019, Buffalo Tours and Olympus Tours joined the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) family and formed Discova. With the backing of one of the world’s largest travel ...

Discover Sarawak Revealing a side of Asia unlike anywhere else, Sarawak offers an alternative for those seeking humble authenticity far from the tourist-trap clichés. ...

Some describe it as a natural playground. Some say, it’s simply unique as it offers a great array of travel options coast to coast. Some say, the hospitality of ...

Here at Elegant Resorts, luxury travel is in our DNA. True pioneers in the industry, we were the first specialist tour operator of our kind when we emerged back in 198...

Palladium Hotel Group is a renowned Spanish hotel chain that first emerged towards the end of the 1960s. Currently present in six countries, we are made up of 50 hotel...

Travel specialists founded the company in 1999 as AC Tours. Since then we have grown and expanded to incorporate four premier brands with offices in London, Paris and ...

In the heart of Europe, in one of the most innovative cities in the world, at the centre of business, innovation and the future, BIT is the international tourism fair ...

SOUTH AUSTRALIA. FOR THOSE WHO WANT A LITTLE MORE. South Australia. It’s a beautiful place. A place for the restless, for those who want to dive a little deeper, explo...

At Wilderness Safaris we believe in creating life-changing journeys and have been doing so for over 39 years. Our purpose today is stronger than ever in our dedication...

Air Transat is Canada’s number one leisure airline. It flies to some 60 international destinations in more than 25 countries in the Americas and Europe, offers domesti...

The Polish Tourism Organisation (Polska Organizacja Turystyczna – POT) is one of several dozen national tourism organisations operating in the world. Our objecti...

Virtuoso is the leading global network of agencies specializing in luxury and experiential travel, with more than 20,000 advisors. We partner with over 2,200 of the wo...