Since opening its doors on October 14, ADTA’s 200m² Abu Dhabi Oasis has seen never-ending queues of people scrambling to get inside to have their names etched in calligraphy, henna designs applied to their hands, the team logo painted on to their faces and to meet Fern and Ying – a pair of peregrine falcons which are show-stoppers in their own rights.

The Abu Dhabi Oasis is receiving more than 15,000 visitors daily, and expects to attract the lion’s share of the 1 million race fans passing through the Alicante Race Village over its three-week opening period.

Visitors have also been lining up to see the sweeping model of Abu Dhabi’s Destination Village, a scaled version of the eight-football pitch large centre which has been built on the UAE capital’s Corniche breakwater to host the sea-hardened race fleet, a fortnight of attractions, entertainment and hospitality as well as 100,000 expected fans this New Year.

Abu Dhabi’s Destination Village is also causing a stir with visitors, with many hoping to make it to the emirate this New Year to join in the Volvo Ocean Race celebrations. Abu Dhabi’s Destination Village will open free-of-charge to the public from 31st December this year to 14th January next year and marks the Middle East’s first hosting of the 39,000 mile, nine-month round-the-world sailing race fleet.

ADTA, which is behind the emirate’s race fleet hosting and is Team Principal of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, is running the Oasis daily in Alicante until the race fleet embarks on the opening leg to Cape Town on 5th November.

Plans are well progressed for the Abu Dhabi New Year hosting. The highly interactive village, which will leverage the maritime theme, will be packed with activities and entertainment including exhibitions, shows, simulators, hospitality, game zones, restaurants and cafes and shops.

ADTA has also developed tailored holiday packages, which will be announced shortly, to cater to international travellers looking to take advantage of the UAE capital’s fortnight-long hosting.

City.Mobi

Also in United Arab Emirates today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Abu Dhabi.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

AbuDhabi.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.