Visitor Experience · Destination Positioning · Competitive Benchmarking · Growth Strategy
A leading waterfront leisure and entertainment destination in Abu Dhabi sought to strengthen its positioning, increase visitor engagement and encourage more frequent visits.
The destination brought together entertainment, dining, wellness and family attractions within a modern waterfront environment. However, visitor awareness and engagement varied considerably across its individual attractions.
Sapience conducted an integrated research programme combining qualitative consumer research and competitive benchmarking to understand visitor perceptions, identify barriers and define practical opportunities for growth.
At a Glance
The Challenge
The destination offered a diverse mix of attractions, including an aquarium, premium cinema, gaming and esports, indoor adventure, wellness facilities, restaurants and waterfront leisure spaces.
Despite this breadth, the client needed clarity around several important business questions:
- How was the destination perceived by loyal visitors, occasional visitors and non-visitors?
- Which attractions were driving awareness and visitation?
- What prevented consumers from visiting more frequently?
- How did the visitor experience compare with competing destinations and attractions?
- How could the destination appeal to a broader multicultural audience?
- Which changes would improve awareness, accessibility, value and repeat visitation?
The research needed to evaluate the destination as a whole while also examining the performance and competitive position of its main anchor attractions.
Our Approach
Sapience developed a two-part research programme combining visitor research with attraction-level competitive benchmarking.
Qualitative Visitor Research
Six focus groups were conducted with Abu Dhabi residents aged 25 to 40 and with monthly household incomes of AED 20,000 or more.
Participants were selected based on their interest in at least two of the destination’s attractions and their regular participation in leisure and dining activities.
Competitive Benchmarking
The benchmarking exercise evaluated the destination’s anchor attractions against relevant competitors across Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Competitors were selected according to:
- Proximity to the destination
- Similarity of the visitor experience
- Relevance to the target audience
- Comparability of services and attractions
The assessment covered four principal areas:
- Attractions and facilities
- Pricing and promotions
- Visitor experience
- Marketing and inclusivity
The analysis used official websites, publicly available pricing and attraction information, customer feedback from review platforms and social-media activity.
What We Learned
The Central Finding
A Strong Destination with a Fragmented Identity
Visitors associated the destination with spaciousness, modern design, cleanliness, safety and a diverse selection of activities.
Loyal visitors considered it a one-stop destination, particularly appreciating the waterfront walkways, restaurants, aquarium, cinema and family-friendly environment. Parents valued the safe, open setting where children could move around while adults relaxed.
However, awareness of the complete destination proposition was limited. Many non-visitors primarily associated it with the aquarium, while some were not aware that it was a leisure destination at all.
The Aquarium Was the Principal Awareness Driver
The aquarium emerged as the best-known and most favoured anchor attraction. Its marine diversity, immersive glass passageway and educational value were particularly attractive to families with children.
Benchmarking confirmed that the aquarium had meaningful strengths in its location, facilities, marine collection and educational potential. However, stronger competitors offered broader experiences, more visible promotions and more developed destination-level packages.
Value Perception Was Restricting Repeat Visitation
The destination and several of its attractions were perceived as premium-priced.
This was especially important for families, for whom the combined cost of admission, food and multiple activities could become substantial. Loyalty programmes, annual memberships, family packages, bundled tickets and off-peak offers were identified as ways to make repeat visits more attractive.
Awareness Varied Considerably Across Attractions
The aquarium had relatively strong awareness, but several other attractions were less understood:
Premium Cinema
Appreciated for its spaciousness, seating and overall quality, but awareness and promotions were limited.
Gaming & Esports
Considered innovative, yet some consumers viewed it as expensive or relevant mainly to children and technology enthusiasts.
Indoor Adventure
Benefited from school-related awareness but was often perceived primarily as a children’s venue.
Wellness Hub
Delivered a distinctive holistic proposition but was seen as premium, niche and less practical for consumers living farther away.
The findings indicated that each attraction required clearer communication, while the destination needed a stronger umbrella proposition connecting the individual attractions into one coherent experience.
Vibrancy Was an Important Part of the Experience
The peaceful waterfront environment appealed to some visitors. For others, limited footfall created a perception that the destination lacked energy and atmosphere.
Competing destinations were often perceived as more vibrant because they combined entertainment with events, cultural activity, dining variety and visible crowds. This indicated that physical quality alone was not enough. Visitors also expected a sense of activity, discovery and social energy.
The Destination Needed to Feel More Inclusive
Some expatriate participants perceived the destination as primarily oriented toward Emirati and Arab visitors.
Participants expressed interest in more multicultural events, broader international dining choices and communications reflecting Abu Dhabi’s diverse population.
The opportunity was to retain the destination’s local identity while making the overall proposition feel more welcoming and relevant across nationalities.
Accessibility Influenced Destination Choice
Travel time, traffic and parking affected visitation. Some consumers were unwilling to travel more than approximately 20 minutes for shorter leisure activities, particularly when comparable alternatives were available closer to home.
While individual attractions could provide a reason to visit, the destination needed to offer enough combined value to justify the complete journey.
The Strategic Opportunity
The findings showed that the destination’s most important opportunity was to reposition itself from a collection of separate attractions into an integrated destination offering a complete day out.
The waterfront environment, family-friendly setting, attractions, cinema, dining and wellness facilities created the foundations for a compelling proposition. The next step was to connect these components through clearer positioning, coordinated marketing and destination-wide experiences.
Sapience identified five strategic priorities.
Establish a Unified Destination Proposition
Marketing should communicate the full range of experiences available rather than promoting individual attractions in isolation.
“A Day at the Destination” content could demonstrate how families, couples, groups of friends and individual visitors can combine activities, dining and waterfront leisure into one visit.
Improve Value Through Packages and Loyalty
Recommended initiatives included:
These initiatives were intended to address affordability concerns while encouraging visitors to explore more than one attraction.
Build Vibrancy Through Programming
Seasonal festivals, outdoor movie nights, cultural events, food markets, fitness challenges and community activities could create stronger reasons to return.
An annual destination festival could combine live entertainment, food experiences, local crafts and family activities, helping transform the destination from a place to visit occasionally into a recurring part of Abu Dhabi’s leisure calendar.
Strengthen Digital Visibility
Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat were important sources of destination discovery, together with recommendations from friends and family.
The proposed digital strategy included:
Broaden Cultural and Audience Relevance
More diverse cultural events, international cuisine, multilingual communication and inclusive visual representation could broaden the destination’s appeal among Abu Dhabi’s expatriate communities.
Partnerships with schools, universities, corporations, artists and community groups could create additional reasons to visit while strengthening local relevance.
The Strategic Outcome
From Research to Destination Strategy
By combining visitor research with attraction-level benchmarking, Sapience helped the client understand both how the destination was perceived and how it performed against relevant alternatives.
Position the destination as an integrated, inclusive waterfront experience where families and social groups can combine entertainment, dining, wellness and leisure in one visit.
The resulting recommendations addressed:
The study provided an evidence-led framework for evolving the destination from a strong physical development with multiple attractions into a more connected, visible and frequently visited leisure destination.
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