Sir Bani Yas Island welcomes over 25,000 guests in its first year of operations

The destination was launched as part of Abu Dhabi Government's strategic socio-economic vision to boost employment, education and investment opportunities among UAE nationals in the Western Region.

To date, over 25,000 guests from around the world have visited Sir Bani Yas Island, out of which 17,000 stayed at Desert Islands Resort and Spa. There were 34,000 adventure activities carried out by visitors throughout the year. These include nature and wildlife drives, kayaking, snorkelling, archery, game walks and mountain biking.

Desert Islands - an archipelago of eight natural islands consisting of Sir Bani Yas Island, the historical Dalma Island and the previously unexplored Discovery Islands - is situated in the Arabian Gulf, approximately eight kilometres from Abu Dhabi's western coastline in the Al Gharbia region.

A few months after its opening, TDIC's first resort, Desert Islands Resort and Spa located on Sir Bani Yas, was already making international headlines. It was one of two hotels in the region to be named among the world's 70 hottest hotels in the 2009 'Hot List' of Conde Nast Traveller magazine. The opening of the 64-room boutique resort, managed by the award-winning Thai hospitality group Anantara, ensured that the Desert Islands is firmly placed on the global tourism map and marked the destination's first phase of development.

"We are proud of the great achievements of Desert Islands in just one year of operations," stated Lee Tabler, Chief Executive Officer of TDIC.

"We have witnessed considerable progress in many aspects, particularly on an environmental, community development and tourism front. We have created a destination in harmony with the nature and wildlife indigenous to the region. Much more than just a tourism destination, Desert Islands aims to educate its visitors by ensuring they get a true taste of local culture and traditions that the Western Region has to offer."

"The feedback we have received from our guests on Sir Bani Yas and the difference we have made to the local community on Dalma Island through our Desert Islands Education Centre are all very encouraging signs for us to continue to forge ahead with our long-term developmental plans for this unique destination,"

said Tabler.

One of the major highlights of Desert Island's phase one development was the creation of the Arabian Wildlife Park, which takes up approximately half the size of Sir Bani Yas Island.

The 41-square-kilometre park reflects a continuous wildlife rehabilitation and conservation initiative, providing an authentic environment for wild animals to roam freely and enjoy their natural habitat. As the largest breeding project in Arabia, the park is home to over 5,000 animals belonging to 23 species of animals of which some are indigenous to the Arabian Peninsula. These include the Arabian Oryx, Sand Gazelle and Mountain Gazelle, as well as other free-roaming predators and scavengers such as the cheetah and hyena which visitors might spot on game drives.

On Dalma Island, the Desert Islands Education Centre was officially opened in May 2008 and is the first professional education facility on the island. The main objective of the centre is to provide education to the island's inhabitants and enable them to become part of the growing tourism industry as they benefit from more career opportunities after their graduation. The centre has been extremely popular, offering key skill sets and vocational courses to nationals. TDIC's vision for the centre is to facilitate contact between the students and businesses on and off the island and assist students in their quest to get into local universities. To date, 55 courses opened, over 500 local students have attended classes and 40 have found jobs after graduation; some already hold essential roles at Sir Bani Yas Airport.

Desert Islands, Sir Ban Yas in particular, is gearing up for even a better year where future plans include two new nature lodges to open in 2010, providing guests with stunning views of the island and up-close-and-personal animal experiences. In 2011, two more lodges are opening, bringing the total to four lodges. Altogether, an additional 190 hotel rooms will be added on Sir Bani Yas. In addition to this TDIC will also be developing a conference centre, several environmentally friendly tourism initiatives, a new equestrian centre, and a youth education and outdoor camp as a non-profit adventure education programme.