Miral reports record visitation numbers across Yas and Saadiyat Islands in summer 2025

Miral has announced a record-breaking summer for Yas Island, the UAE’s premier leisure and entertainment destination, and Saadiyat Island, the UAE’s captivating destination with its pristine beaches, luxurious resorts and cultural experiences.

The summer witnessed a surge in visitors, further reinforcing their standing as premier destinations for families and international travellers alike. Yas Island recorded a 15 per cent increase in visitation numbers while Saadiyat Island saw a 14 per cent increase across its cultural landmarks and hotels.

Yas Theme Parks witnessed its best summer ever, achieving a 9 per cent increase in visits compared to last year, with August, alone, achieving a 16 per cent surge and international visitation growing by 50 per cent year-on-year. The Yas Theme Parks also saw particularly strong contributions from key markets including the GCC with 31 per cent, China with 31 per cent growth, Russia with 86 per cent growth, and the UK with 47 per cent growth.

As for Saadiyat Island, this summer saw a 14 per cent increase in cultural landmark visitation, with the newest attraction, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, delivering exceptional performance, surpassing visitation expectations since its opening in April 2025.

Hotels’ performance across both destinations this summer also saw great growth.  Yas Island achieved an average occupancy rate of 85 per cent over the summer, with occupancy peaking at more than 90 per cent and ADR reaching its highest at AED1,470 at The WB Abu Dhabi hotel in August 2025, alone.  As for Saadiyat Island, its hotels and resorts recorded a strong 66 per cent hotel occupancy and achieved its highest ADR at an average of around AED 1,000 all through summer.

Dr Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, Group CEO, Miral said: “This summer has been a milestone season, with growth across Yas Island’s world-class attractions, and Saadiyat Island’s cultural landmarks, combined with the exceptional debut of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat, reflecting the strength of Abu Dhabi’s diverse leisure and cultural offering. These results show that visitors from across the globe are increasingly seeking the immersive experiences our emirate provides, reinforcing Abu Dhabi position as a global destination for tourism.”

Yas Island saw footfall on Yas Marina and Yas Bay Waterfront increasing by 27 per cent compared to last summer.

With hotel occupancy on Yas Island peaking this summer, the Yas Neighbour Hotel Partner programme, launched last year, delivered remarkable results, recording a 67 per cent growth. The programme’s performance highlights the strength of Yas Island’s integrated proposition and its pivotal role in driving Abu Dhabi’s wider tourism agenda. By leveraging Yas Island's success to that of the neighbour hotels in the capital, the project not only adds visitor capacity but also boosts the destination's overall value chain, cementing Yas Island's status as a top growth driver for the emirate's hospitality and tourism sector.

Yas Island’s popular Kids Go Free offering recorded 31 per cent growth in 2025. This, coupled with the destination’s continued commitment to enhancing its summer experiences, drove significant visitation from key source markets including GCC, UK, India and Russia.

These strong summer results reaffirm Yas Island and Saadiyat Island’s status as world-class destinations for leisure, entertainment, and luxury, continuing to attract visitors from across the globe.