Yas Island, the UAE’s fastest emerging holiday destination, will tap into the Russian tourist market at a major upcoming fair in Moscow for travel and tourism.

The 20th International Trade Fair for Travel and Tourism, known as OTDYKH 2014, will be held from September 16 to 19 in the IEC “Crocus Expo” in Moscow.

The event is a leading international autumn trade fair for leisure travel in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).  Over 62,000 visitors are expected to attend this four-day exhibition.

“With over 50 million outbound travellers each year and growing, Russia and the CIS are immensely important markets for the global tourist industry,” said Karim El Guanaini, vice president at Yas Island destination management. “This trade fair serves as the perfect platform to reach out to new businesses and raise awareness of Yas Island, which is already a popular destination for Russians seeking an exciting break under the sun.”

Around 16,800 visitors came from Russia to Abu Dhabi alone in 2012, according to the Tourism Decision Matrix. This figure is expected to grow by 29.5 per cent annually to reach 61,100 by 2017.

Russia is one of Abu Dhabi’s 20 largest hotel guest markets, accounting for 19,600 hotel guests in 2012, up 40 per cent from the previous year, according to Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA). Each guest stayed an average of 5.4 nights to accumulate 105,000 guest nights that year. Around 92 per cent of visitors came for leisure purposes, with many drawn to Yas Island’s unique attractions.

“In order to maximise the potential of this growing market, Yas Island will continue to develop new offerings and Russian-focused material aimed at encouraging Russian tourists to make Yas Island a part of their vacation to the UAE,” said El Guanaini. “With Yas Mall soon to open and F1 season around the corner, now is the ideal time to engage the Russian marketplace and demonstrate Yas Island’s vibrancy and compatibility with what Russian tourists want.” -  TradeArabia News Service