Etihad promises free holiday to visitors... if it rains in Abu Dhabi

While rain-starved UAE residents can’t seem to have enough of the ongoing good weather, Etihad Holidays has unveiled a new campaign that promises visitors a free holiday if it rains more than 5mm during their stay in Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Holidays, a division of Etihad Airways, has launched a new campaign promising “guaranteed sunshine or your next holiday for free” to attract more visitors from the rain-weary UK to holiday in Abu Dhabi, it said in a media statement.

Visitors who experience more than 5mm of rainfall during their stay in Abu Dhabi will receive another holiday free of charge, the firm promises.

Etihad Holidays said the launch of its campaign coincides with the opening of its new UK office.

According to the UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology, February and March are the top “wettest” months for Abu Dhabi.

“February is on average the wettest month, with a mean of 30.7mm, although variability has ranged from nil to 202.3mm in the last 19 years,” according to NCMS’ Aviation Meteorology division.

“With an average monthly rainfall of 21.2mm, March is the second wettest month of the year,” it notes.

The May to September period isn’t usually associated with heavy rainfall in Abu Dhabi. “May is normally one of the sunniest months of the year with around 12 sunshine hours per day. Rainfall expectancy is low, with only a trace being recorded,” according to NCMS’ AVMet.ae.

The weatherman says that, on an average, “no rainfall is expected” in June while in August, it notes that “rainfall is rare, with only 2 months recording measurable rainfall since 1982.”

AV Met also notes that “July is statistically the haziest month with an average 26 haze days” while in September, “fog becomes more probable with 5 fog days a month on average.”

The Etihad initiative aims to bring more business and leisure travellers to the UAE capital over the summer months, the holiday operator said.

Titled the ‘Abu Dhabi: sunshine guaranteed or your next holiday for free,’ the campaign will apply to every booking that consists of a flight and hotel-inclusive package between May and September.

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 per cent rise on figures for 2014 – according to recent statistics released by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.

“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,” said Mohammed Al Bulooki, Vice President UAE Commercial at Etihad Airways.

“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, which launched in 2004, offers packaged holidays in association with many prime hotel brands and provides a range of 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.

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