At this year’s ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse) Berlin, touted as the world’s largest tourism trade fair, Etihad Airways and the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) – Abu Dhabi collaboratively launched a new digital pass called Abu Dhabi Pass. As the name suggests, the idea behind its creation is to help boost tourism by providing easier access to city-wide attractions with unlimited access to the public buses and a 24-hour limitless use of the hop-on-hop-off tourist bus network.
How to get one? Etihad Airways passengers will receive an email asking them to apply for an Abu Dhabi Pass free of charge. The digital pass also provides travellers a tourist SIM card with 10GB data to stay online. What’s more, pass holders can benefit with a 15 per cent discount at Abu Dhabi’s Qasr Al Watan and Louvre Abu Dhabi, and get exclusive rates at Yas Island’s entertainment activities, including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld. The Abu Dhabi Pass also unlocks deals to more than 200 restaurants across the emirate and discounts for much sought-after experiences such as desert safaris and guided city tours.
The Abu Dhabi Pass was conceived based on the success of Etihad’s stopover programme, which attracted 85,000 tourists in 2024, 73,000 more than in the preceding year. Booking through the airline’s official website with a stopover at its home hub unlocks the benefit of a complimentary hotel stay for up to two nights before taking the next flight.
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The newly created digital pass will advance the objectives of Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Strategy 2030. The aim is to attract 39.3 million visitors, create 178,000 new jobs in the tourism industry, and boost the city’s GDP by contributing AED 90 billion by the end of the decade.
