ABU DHABI´S FIRST NATURE-BASED TOURISM DESTINATION OPENS ON SIR BANI YAS ISLAND , 2 Nov 2008

Desert Islands – the new nature-based destination offshore Abu Dhabi’s Al Gharbia (Western Region) – has arrived on the international tourism scene with the opening of Sir Bani Yas Island. The opening of the 64-room boutique Desert Islands Resort and Spa, managed by the award-winning Thai hospitality group Anantara, has also signalled the arrival of Al Gharbia on the global tourism map. Sir Bani Yas Island is one of eight natural islands which make up Desert Islands and is being developed by Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) – a master developer of major leisure, residential and tourism destination within Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

“The launch of Desert Islands’ first phase is a milestone, not only in TDIC’s history, but in that of Al Gharbia,” explained Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC. “As the first TDIC proprietary product to come on line, the opening up of Sir Bani Yas Island has given us a great sense of satisfaction, particularly as it has been achieved in less than three years of the company’s launch. It is also a flagship development for Al Gharbia and a paradigm of how the great potential of this region can be leveraged in a solid, sustainable manner.”

Originally conceived as a wildlife reserve to ensure the survival of Arabia’s most endangered species, Sir Bani Yas Island is one of the great legacies of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late President of the UAE. Today it hosts the Arabian Wildlife Park which spans three quarters of this 87 square kilometre island and is home to a variety of free roaming animals including one of the world’s largest herds, of more than 400, of Arabian oryx.