Monster trucks, Kidsfest and WWE wrestling helped Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City to report higher visitor numbers and revenues last year as the emirate’s push to attract more tourists pays off.
Zayed Sports City, owned by Mubadala Development, announced yesterday that revenues for last year increased by 12 per cent over 2012.
Total visitor numbers to the complex during the year increased by 20 per cent to 1.2 million, with the number of events held during the year rising to 143, up from 100, the company said.
“Mubadala is helping to develop the physical and social infrastructure required to support a modern and rapidly evolving society in Abu Dhabi,” said Ali Eid Al Mheiri, the executive director of Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure.
“Zayed Sports City is an essential part of this process, and I am delighted that it continues to grow while still playing a central role in the lives of Abu Dhabi residents through a combination of world-class leisure, health care and residential facilities.”
The family event Kidsfest, held during Eid Al Adha in October, was the venue’s largest single event in terms of footfall, attracting 26,000 people, according to the general manager, Barry Bremner.
The monster truck extravaganza Monster Jam, the first such event to be held in the Middle East, attracted about 16,500 people in May, while about 16,000 visitors attended December’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
The wrestling event WWE Raw in October, was the biggest single revenue generating event, with ticket prices of up to Dh2,000 and commercial rights and merchandising.
Last year’s event was unable to match the performance of the inaugural WWE Raw in 2012, perhaps given the absence of crowd favourite John Cena, due to injury.
WWE Raw is due to return to Zayed Sports City in the first quarter of next year.
“Abu Dhabi is very much on the map now,” said Mr Bremner. “We believe that we’re increasingly competing as an events destination.”
Such international events were a major boost to Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector, he said, noting that about 30 per cent of attendees of WWE Raw travelled to the event from outside the UAE.
Sport has become increasingly central to Abu Dhabi’s efforts to boost its tourism sector, with high-profile international events such as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Fifa’s Under-17 Football World Cup, held in October.
Even less high-profile events, such as the men’s world 10-pin bowling championships, to be held in Abu Dhabi this coming December, will bring in decent revenue for both Zayed Sports City and Abu Dhabi, said Mr Bremner.
“That means up to 800 bowlers coming in from all over the world, along with their supporters, which will fill up a lot of hotel rooms in the city.”
Last year’s football event brought several national squads – including Ivory Coast, Egypt, Norway and Sweden – to the complex’s facilities for off-season training, with requests from some 40 teams to use the facilities this year.
“Teams are seeing Abu Dhabi as an attractive place to come and train,” said Mr Bremner.
Zayed Sports City is now home to 28 sports and 27 organised sporting groups, academies and federations.
The complex last year won a Sports Industry Award for best sport and recreation venue in the Middle East.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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