Etihad Holidays will be acquired by ExCeL London owners Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company (ADNEC) with a view toward expanding their footprint in tourism. It will integrate with ADNEC’s tourism promotion business, Tourism 365.
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, said: “We hold a long-term investor perspective in identifying and acquiring key assets in developed markets. This move will strengthen the Group’s competitiveness and will increase direct and indirect economic contributions to the UAE’s tourism sectors.”
A fully-fledged tour operator
Tourism 365 will operate Etihad Holidays, taking it from a platform focused on the local market to a fully-fledged tour operator supplying online and traditional travel agencies with Etihad network holiday packages from key source markets.
Capital Experience, Tourism 365’s destination management arm, will be the exclusive supplier of Etihad Holidays across the UAE when it comes to hotels, transfers and attractions.
Etihad Holidays offering will combine Etihad Airways’ product with packages in different source markets to key destinations including Abu Dhabi, the wider UAE, Thailand, Seychelles, Maldives and many others.
Roula Jouny, Executive Director of Tourism 365, commented: “We are thrilled with this move. This new development solidifies our strategic role in strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as a destination and bolstering the incredible efforts of the UAE’s wider tourism industry.
“This asset transfer will significantly expand Etihad Holidays’ presence in key source markets especially from a B2B tour operator standpoint.
“As part of Tourism 365’s vision to become the number one choice for travel and tourism professionals, we look forward to further highlighting Abu Dhabi to tourists from far and wide, whilst also showcasing the unmissable offerings of the Emirates.”
