Tourism 365, a subsidiary of trade fair operator Andec, intends to enter the tour operator business with the brands Etihad Holidays and Capital Holidays. The first charter flights between Germany and Abu Dhabi are to be offered as early as October 2023.

The Etihad Holidays brand is not new. Tourist services have already been offered under this brand in cooperation with the state airline. Now they want to expand the business significantly and act as a tour operator through the company Tourism 365. In addition to packages that include Etihad flights, numerous charter flights are to be offered from three German airports, two French and unspecified ones in Austria and the United Kingdom between October 2023 and December 2025. It will operate under the Etihad Holidays and Capital Holidays brands.

With the help of package tours, Tourism 365, a subsidiary of the state trade fair operator Andec, wants to bring additional tourists to Abu Dhabi. The company is managed by Roula Jouny, who previously headed an FTI subsidiary. Those responsible emphasize that the new tour operator should already be fully operational.

However, they do not only want to offer Abu Dhabi trips, but also have destinations such as Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives in their portfolio. It also follows that one wants to contribute to a better utilization of the Etihad Airways transfer flights. Conversely, the Capital Holidays brand also wants to attract travelers from Abu Dhabi and other markets for holidays in Europe. For example, package tours will be offered in the Mediterranean region this summer.

In principle, the plans now presented are not entirely new. Even before the corona pandemic, it was known that a fully-fledged tour operator was to be established under the Etihad brand. This should use both the route network of the state carrier and charter flights. However, the corona pandemic ensured that the plans were initially put on hold indefinitely. Now it has been pulled out of the drawer again and a two-brand strategy has been decided on. The emirate of Abu Dhabi is building up a state tour operator through legal detours.