Swim under the stars as Abu Dhabi's first night beach opens
KIRSTIN BERNABE (ABU DHABI)Abu Dhabi's first night beach is now open, inviting residents and visitors to enjoy a swim under the stars on Hudayriat Island's Marsana East this summer.Marsana East Beach opened for night swimmers on Tuesday and will operate for a limited time until September 30.From Monday to Thursday, visitors can swim from sunset until 10pm, with tickets priced at Dh50 for those aged 12 and above, and Dh25 for children aged six to 11.On weekends, Friday to Sunday, and on public holidays, the beach stays open until midnight, with entry priced at Dh100 for adults and Dh50 for children. Entry is free for children under five on all days.Ensuring swimmer safety, floodlights illuminate the waters while lifeguards remain on duty.Marsana's eateries are ready to deliver food and beverages directly to guests, with at least eight dining outlets offering on-demand service via QR code.Loungers line the beach, and mini-coolers are stocked with drinking water. Complimentary towels are also provided.With its child-friendly activities and amenities, Hudayriat Island has become a favourite leisure spot for many families in the emirate.During the day, the island's Marsana West offers a more laid-back atmosphere for beachgoers. Across Marsana, a unique collection of art pieces and sculptures is on display, establishing the waterfront destination as a hub of creativity. It regularly hosts exhibitions featuring the work of local and regional artists.Beyond its beaches, Hudayriat Island is also hosting water parties this summer. From Monday to Friday, daily activities are taking place at its Circuit X Splash Park until August 31.
Children can enjoy a variety of experiences — from water play discovery, musical water games, and sensory stations to 'mini Olympics' and water creature crafts, promising plenty of splashing fun. Activities start at 10am.
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Al Etihad
4 days ago
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Move over, pistachio kunafa: ‘Abu Dhabi Chocolate' is coming soon, says chef behind viral flavour
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Al Etihad
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Swim under the stars as Abu Dhabi's first night beach opens
2 July 2025 23:13 KIRSTIN BERNABE (ABU DHABI)Abu Dhabi's first night beach is now open, inviting residents and visitors to enjoy a swim under the stars on Hudayriat Island's Marsana East this East Beach opened for night swimmers on Tuesday and will operate for a limited time until September Monday to Thursday, visitors can swim from sunset until 10pm, with tickets priced at Dh50 for those aged 12 and above, and Dh25 for children aged six to weekends, Friday to Sunday, and on public holidays, the beach stays open until midnight, with entry priced at Dh100 for adults and Dh50 for children. Entry is free for children under five on all swimmer safety, floodlights illuminate the waters while lifeguards remain on eateries are ready to deliver food and beverages directly to guests, with at least eight dining outlets offering on-demand service via QR line the beach, and mini-coolers are stocked with drinking water. Complimentary towels are also its child-friendly activities and amenities, Hudayriat Island has become a favourite leisure spot for many families in the the day, the island's Marsana West offers a more laid-back atmosphere for beachgoers. Across Marsana, a unique collection of art pieces and sculptures is on display, establishing the waterfront destination as a hub of creativity. It regularly hosts exhibitions featuring the work of local and regional its beaches, Hudayriat Island is also hosting water parties this summer. From Monday to Friday, daily activities are taking place at its Circuit X Splash Park until August 31. Children can enjoy a variety of experiences — from water play discovery, musical water games, and sensory stations to 'mini Olympics' and water creature crafts, promising plenty of splashing fun. Activities start at 10am.
Gulf Today
25-06-2025
- Gulf Today
Surging travel in Europe spikes concerns over tourism's drawbacks
Suitcases rattle against cobblestones. Selfie-snappers jostle for the same shot. Ice cream shops are everywhere. Europe has been called the world's museum, but its record numbers of visitors have also made it ground zero for concerns about overtourism. Last year, 747 million international travelers visited the continent, far outnumbering any other region in the world, according to the UN's World Tourism Barometer. Southern and Western Europe welcomed more than 70% of them. As the growing tide of travelers strains housing, water and the most Instagrammable hotspots in the region, protests and measures to lessen the effects of overtourism have proliferated. Here's a look at the issue in some of Europe's most visited destinations. Among factors driving the record numbers are cheap flights, social media, the ease of travel planning using artificial intelligence and what UN tourism officials call a strong economic outlook for many rich countries that send tourists despite some geopolitical and economic tensions. Citizens of countries like the US, Japan, China and the UK generate the most international trips, especially to popular destinations, such as Barcelona in Spain and Venice in Italy. They swarm these places seasonally, creating uneven demand for housing and resources such as water. Despite popular backlash against the crowds, some tourism officials believe they can be managed with the right infrastructure in place. Italy's Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè said she thinks tourism flows at crowded sites such Florence's Uffizi Galleries that house some of the world's most famous artworks could be better managed with AI, with tourists able to buy their tickets when they book their travel, even months in advance, to prevent surges. People taking selfies outside the She pushed back against the idea that Italy - which like all of its Southern European neighbors, welcomed more international visitors in 2024 than its entire population - has a problem with too many tourists, adding that most visits are within just 4% of the country's territory. "It's a phenomenon that can absolutely be managed," Santanchè told The Associated Press in an interview in her office on Friday. "Tourism must be an opportunity, not a threat - even for local communities. That's why we are focusing on organizing flows." Countries on the Mediterranean are at the forefront. Olympics-host France, the biggest international destination, last year received 100 million international visitors, while second-place Spain received almost 94 million - nearly double its own population. Protests have erupted across Spain over the past two years. In Barcelona, the water gun has become a symbol of the city's anti-tourism movement after marching protests have spritzed unsuspecting tourists while carrying signs saying: "One more tourist, one less resident!" People take part in a protest against mass tourism in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. AP The pressure on infrastructure has been particularly acute on Spain's Canary and Balearic Islands, which have a combined population of less than 5 million people. Each archipelago saw upwards of 15 million visitors last year. Elsewhere in Europe, tourism overcrowding has vexed Italy's most popular sites including Venice, Rome, Capri and Verona, where Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" was set. On the popular Amalfi Coast, ride-hailing app Uber offers private helicopter and boat rides in the summer to beat the crowds. Greece, which saw nearly four times as many tourists as its own population last year, has struggled with the strain on water, housing and energy in the summer months, especially on popular islands such as Santorini, Mykonos and others. In Spain, anti-tourism activists, academics, and the government say that overtourism is driving up housing costs in city centers and other popular locations due to the proliferation of short-term rentals that cater to visitors. Others bemoan changes to the very character of city neighborhoods that drew tourists in the first place. In Barcelona and elsewhere, activists and academics have said that neighborhoods popular with tourists have seen local shops replaced with souvenir vendors, international chains and trendy eateries. On some of Greece's most-visited islands, tourism has overlapped with water scarcity as drought grips the Mediterranean country of 10.4 million. A view of the Parthenon temple in Athens, Greece. Reuters In France, the Louvre, the world's most-visited museum, shut down this week when its staff went on strike warning that the facility was crumbling beneath the weight of overtourism, stranding thousands of ticketed visitors lined up under the baking sun. Angelos Varvarousis, a Barcelona- and Athens-based academic and urban planner who studies the industry, said overtourism risks imposing a "monoculture" on many of Europe's hotspots. "It is combined with the gradual loss and displacement of other social and economic activities," Varvarousis said. Spain's government wants to tackle what officials call the country's biggest governance challenge: its housing crunch. Last month, Spain's government ordered Airbnb to take down almost 66,000 properties it said had violated local rules - while Barcelona announced a plan last year to phase out all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028. Officials said the measure was to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents. Elsewhere, authorities have tried to regulate tourist flows by cracking down on overnight stays or imposing fees for those visiting via cruises. In Greece, starting July 1, a cruise tax will be levied on island visitors at 20 euros ($23) for popular destinations like Mykonos and 5 euros ($5.70) for less-visited islands like Samos. The government has also encouraged visitors to seek quieter locations. To alleviate water problems, water tankers from mainland Greece have helped parched islands, and the islands have also used desalination technology, which separates salts from ocean water to make it drinkable, to boost their drinking water. Other measures have included staggered visiting hours at the Acropolis. Meanwhile, Venice brought back an entry fee this year that was piloted last year on day-trippers who will have to pay between 5 and 10 euros (roughly $6 to $12) to enter the city during the peak season. Associated Press
