Oscar Travel Bureau Ltd.

Etihad Airways has unveiled a striking new plane livery to help promote the destination of Abu Dhabi across the world.

The eye-catching “Visit Abu Dhabi in 2011” livery on an Airbus A330-300 forms part of a new global marketing campaign called Essential Abu Dhabi, aimed at raising the emirate’s profile worldwide.

Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “The unveiling of this new aircraft livery with our message to the world to come and Visit Abu Dhabi further underlines our commitment to the growth and awareness of Abu Dhabi, not only as a tourist destination but as a place to do business in a dynamic and friendly environment.”

“Travel and tourism is of critical importance to any growing economy. If you look in our immediate catchment area of a few hours’ flying time, we are reaching hundreds and hundreds of millions of new air travellers in growing economies in the Indian subcontinent and a bit further on, China and the Asian powerhouse economies.”

The new aircraft, which features Etihad’s new Diamond First Class cabin, will fly to London, Geneva, Frankfurt, Paris and Mumbai as part of the Essential Abu Dhabi campaign, and marks the start of a number of high profile promotional activities planned in the coming months.

The Essential Abu Dhabi promotion also gives Etihad passengers the opportunity to take advantage of offers across hotels, restaurants and attractions in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi last year attracted 1.81 million hotel guests, with Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority voted “World’s Leading Tourist Board” by World Travel Awards for the second year running.

This year a further 4,000 hotel rooms are expected to open in Abu Dhabi, rising from 18,800 at the end of 2010.
Investments in tourism infrastructure in the capital include attractions such as the Guggenheim and the Louvre museums, which are under development on Saadiyat Island.

Using the “Pass to the Magic”, an Etihad Airways boarding pass, visitors are enticed to spend time in the emirate to enjoy the impressive array of free or discount offers available through the various ‘Essential Abu Dhabi’ partners.

The website, www.essentialabudhabi.com, provides dedicated pages for hotels, restaurants, Yas Island, entertainment, shopping, arts and culture, adventures and golf, while an “Essential Abu Dhabi” on-board brochure is available for passengers to pick and choose from.

“We wanted to provide a convenient ‘one stop shop’ that will serve as both a directory for the city whilst providing exclusive offers on a range of products and services for our visitors,” Baumgartner added.