by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 2:20 PM ET, Wed May 15, 2024

Etihad Airways is offering free stopovers in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi.

The national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has just inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) for the stopover program.

Exclusive to Etihad Airways, travelers who are flying through Abu Dhabi can turn their stopover into the ¡°ultimate holiday¡± in the island city known for its shopping centers and modern towers.

The program allows travelers, when booking flights with Etihad, the ability to select a complimentary hotel stay in Abu Dhabi as part of the online booking process. Guests can choose a free stay for one or two nights in a range of premier hotels across the city.

¡°We plan to bring more than 100,000 visitors to Abu Dhabi through the Stopover program over the next year,¡±? Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad¡¯s CEO, said in a statement.

The UAE capital features diverse landscapes, from dune areas that offer desert safari adventures to soft-sand, turtle-nesting beaches on Saadiyat Island.

The city is also home to a variety of architectural highlights including the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi with its unique landmark dome designed by Jean Nouvel, and the Qasr Al Watan presidential palace.

Adventure and family travelers, meanwhile, often head to Abu Dhabi¡¯s Yas Island, where theme parks such as Ferrari World YAS Island Abu Dhabi offer adrenaline-fueled rides. Additional popular attractions include Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld Yas Island Abu Dhabi, which features rides, slides, wave pools and a lazy river.

Yas Island is also home to Yas Marina Circuit, host of the famous Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The racetrack is open to visitors for walking, running and cycling, as well as go-karting most of the year.

When participating in the free stopover program, each traveler's Etihad boarding pass doubles as the Abu Dhabi pass, which offers discounts at many of the city¡¯s leading attractions as well as dining experiences.

Etihad services more than 70 destinations globally. The new stopover packages are only available when booking direct on etihad.com.

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