Atlantis the Palm in the UAE, a $1.5 billion unique property with 1539 rooms, emerged as a preferred family destination among the GCC tourists specifically visitors from the Kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, according to a senior official at the property.
Soufiane El Allam, Executive Director of Sales-GCC, MENA, Atlantis the Palm in an interview said Atlantis has given a totally new concept to the family tourism by offering serenity, privacy, entertainment and culture-filled treat to the guests.
Property’s beauty, entertainment and the UAE’s proximity to other GCC countries are an added advantage for the visitors. This year Atlantis the palm has lined up special activities for the GCC market during summer in the sense that the resort is considered one of the best entertainment destinations all over the Middle East area.
Soufiane said that Atlantis had achieved 18000 room nights booked by the Saudi guests from the start of this year and the number of Saudi families would see a major surge during this summer which coincides with Ramadan Al Mubarak this year.
“We have tailor-made packages for Ramadan especially those families coming from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia ranging between BD99 to BD110 for a family of two. The in-house guests can enjoy the world class aqua adventures without paying extra for enjoying such facilities. In addition keeping in mind the rich traditions of Ramadan, Atlantis has set-up a $1.5 million region’s largest tent with a capacity of 700 people at a time.
“Out of 1500 rooms of the property, 90% are inter-connected and can be used by the families without compromising on the privacy and this configuration is also a unique feature among the properties in the region,” he said.
“Overall the property has seen a vibrant growth with occupancy rising to 95% in the month of July. These sustained patterns of growth are results of the loyal customers that will continue to be a hall mark of the growth in business from across the region. The property has been growth 40% to 45% year-on-year which is result of a successful business model,” he said.
According to the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing statistics, Bahraini visitors make up 6.6% of total GCC visitors to Dubai. In the first three quarters of 2010, 54,669 Bahraini visitors visited Dubai.
“We have also achieved 2000 room nights in past seven months booked by the visitors from the Kingdom of Bahrain. We want to see a major surge in visitors from across the GCC to be staying at Atlantis in the third quarter,” he said.
Atlantis the Palm is a 1,539 room, ocean-themed destination resort located at the centre of the crescent of the man-made Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. This $1.5 billion joint venture project was developed with Dubai Government owned, Istithmar.
Opened in September 2008, the resort utilises the 46 hectares site with 17 hectares of water park amusement, further marine and entertainment attractions and a collection of some of the most renowned world-class chefs including Nobu, Giorgio Locatelli, Santi Santamaria and Michel Rostang.
Atlantis, The Palm offers an unprecedented entertainment centre, an impressive collection of luxury boutiques and shops and extensive meeting and convention facilities.
It is home to one of the largest open-air marine habitats in the world, with some 65,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays including The Lost Chambers, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways providing a journey through ancient Atlantis.