Yas Island has ended the summer on a high.
New rides at Ferrari World – the Flying Aces roller coaster and the family-oriented Benno’s Great Race, and Yas Waterworld – helped to lift visitor numbers by 50 per cent to a record 600,000 over the summer months.
Ferrari World unveiled the two new rides earlier this year.
Yas Island draws about 25 million visitors a year to its attractions that also includes the Yas Marina Formula One circuit, seven hotels, a beach and links golf course.
“Yas Island continues to strengthen its reputation both locally and internationally as a world-class, year-round entertainment destination for people of all ages,” said Mohamed Abdulla Al Zaabi, chief executive of Miral, which is responsible for the development and management of Yas Island. “This summer’s success, marked by a record increase in visitors is testament to the appeal of Yas Island’s growing and dynamic collection of attractions and a record we look forward to achieving annually.”
Yas Island will undergo a brand relaunch next week. No other details were provided.
In June Miral signed an agreement for a new transport system that could whisk people around the island in floating pods.
Miral’s deal with SkyTran – a company developed by Nasa – will lead to the development of a personal rapid transport system based on magnetic levitation (maglev).
Earlier this year, Miral confirmed that work had also restarted on a Warner Bros-branded theme park, which is due to open in 2018.
“Yas Island is an aspirational yet accessible destination and this summer’s success,” said Mr Al Zaabi. “[It] is a harbinger for what will be a truly memorable next chapter in the Yas Island story, one we are excited to share with our stakeholders, partners, and importantly, our guests.”
ascott@thenational.ae
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