Woman wins Dh1 million at Yas Waterworld

When Andrea Canciani was invited by the Yas Waterworld management to come over to collect a prize she had won, she imagined it would be small prize from a draw she would have participated in.

But she got the shock of her life when the prize turned to be a "small" Dh1 million.

The 32-year-old flight attendant and aspiring musician entered the Say Yas summer prize by spending Dh500 on the island earlier this summer. On September 22 she was invited back to Yas Waterworld to collect her prize.

At the entrance of the park Canciani was met by the Yas Waterworld mascots, who escorted her to the Hairat Yas Pearl Diving Tank. Here, she was met by Mohamed Al Zaabi, the CEO of Yas Island, who congratulated her, while two pearl divers unveiled a waterproof cheque for Dh1,000,000 with her name on it.

"I can't believe it, I'm still in shock! My husband and I both thought we had been invited to spend a wonderful day on Yas Island but this news has surpassed all our expectations. I am so grateful and hope this isn't just a dream," said Canciani, as soon as she could speak.

A few hours later, across the road from Yas Waterworld, a similar story put a big smile of Samer Maslamani's face. The Jordanian resident in the UAE was invited to Ferrari World to collect a small prize for having visited Yas Waterworld with his two boys earlier this summer. Upon arrival, Maslamani and his wife were greeted by Jesse Vargas, general manager of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, and whisked away on a VIP tour of the park in a Ferrari car. After braving an adrenalin-fuelled front seat experience on Flying Aces, which boasts the highest rollercoaster loop on the planet, Maslamani was surprised with an even bigger prize: a trip for four people to the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, including Etihad flights and luxury hotel stay.

"Yas Island is a place where dreams come true. Our Say Yas summer campaign had more than 50,000 entries and we continued to surprise and delight visitors after they had left the island with weekly prize draws including three Maseratis, over the three-month long campaign", said Al Zaabi.

It has been particularly rewarding to be a part of the grand prize giveaways. Our winners had no idea what they had won until the big reveal -- and their reactions were priceless. It brings all of us at Yas Island great joy to spread happiness, he added.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi