Abu Dhabi: A Tourism Hotspot of the Future?
Louvre, Guggenheim, Ferrari World – these were just a few of the attractions we came across when touring Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Be it world-class museums, high-adrenaline attractions or man-made beaches – Abu Dhabi is investing heavily to become a future key tourist and culture hub in the Middle East. For now, many new offers are open, yet few tourists are present – a fact we enjoyed fully during our visit.
Abu Dhabi – A State with a Different Pace than Dubai
While Dubai is known as the tourism and commercial center of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is the wealthier big brother, the country’s capital and political center. With significant oil and gas reserves and accordingly deeper state pockets, Abu Dhabi has not approached tourism and the commercial world as early as Dubai but now seems to be setting all sails to make up for this. No matter where you turn when visiting this Emirate state, you see new residential areas, urban development projects and cranes adding new skyscrapers to the city skyline.
Although Abu Dhabi is aiming to become even more of a world destination, it is still more traditional and quiet than busy Dubai. We saw and met more locals and had the feeling of a city which goes about life at a slower pace when we visited. Interestingly, while being one country, the seven Emirate states act quite independently with the biggest differences to be found between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. For example, in handling COVID-19 Abu Dhabi has strict restrictions and when crossing the state border from Dubai, visiting tourist attractions or just going to a mall, we needed to show vaccination proof and a PCR-test. No such thing is needed in Dubai.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: A Beautiful Landmark
One of the key attractions in Abu Dhabi is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which can accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers at a time and is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. Opened in 2007, the mosque is a beautiful monument made of white marble with gold-clad columns, domes and minarets and decorated with exquisite carpets and chandeliers with Swarovski crystals.
The mosque is open for visitors and we visited together with my mom who was travelling with us. Dressed in lose-fitting long trousers, long-sleeved pullovers – and of course with my mom and I wearing headscarves – we admired the stunning exterior and impressive interior of the mosque. Set out to welcome thousands of tourists a day, a clearly defined route is marked through the mosque with photo points along the way. We visited in the off-peak season and could walk through at a leisurely pace and enjoyed getting an insight into a different religion and culture.
Saadiyat & Yas Islands: Future Entertainment & Culture Hotspots
Some of the major investments in Abu Dhabi include building new areas, one of them Saadiyat Island, which offers beautiful beaches and world-class museums such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi. By 2025, Louvre will be joined by the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which is expected to further increase the island’s appeal to international tourists.
Another new hotspot is Yas Island featuring sport venues such as the Yas Marina Circuit (which hosts the annual Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix), entertainment arenas such as the Etihad Arena (which recently hosted the world championships in swimming) and tourist theme parks such as Ferrari World, Warner Brothers World and Yas Water World. Moreover, the Yas Bay Waterfront is just opening with promenade walks, restaurants, beach clubs and numerous hotels. And new residential areas are being built everywhere you look.
When we visited Saadiyat and Yas Islands, we had the attractions mostly to ourselves and could enjoy the offers without having to queue and even had the beaches and great waves almost to ourselves. As such the areas came across as hotspots of the future – or hotspots very impacted by less tourists due to COVID-19. Our impression was that the places have yet to be discovered and explored by international tourists and it will be interesting to see in the next years if the investment pays off for Abu Dhabi.
