Abu Dhabi: Hotels in Abu Dhabi recorded their best August guest arrivals to date as the number of people checking into the emirate’s 156 hotels and hotel apartments last month rose 22 per cent compared to August 2013, according to the Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA).
In an interview with Gulf News, Sultan Al Daheri, acting executive director of tourism at TCA, said that hotel occupancy during the month reached 70 per cent — up 11 per cent on the same time last year. The increase is made more significant by the fact that there are 10 more hotels this year bringing an additional 2,495 rooms.
The figures from August bring the total number of guests checking into Abu Dhabi’s accommodation during the first eight months of this year to 2.2 million, marking a 27 per cent increase over the same time last year.
Al Daheri attributed the rise in guest numbers in August to a packed events calendar, which included the Abu Dhabi Summer Season, a series of entertainment events organised by TCA.
Guest nights during the first eight months also increased, reaching 6.67 million — up 22 per cent year-on-year — while hotel occupancy reached 73 per cent, marking an eight per cent increase. However, the average length of stay dropped four per cent to just over three nights.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s hotel revenues climbed 15 per cent year-on-year to Dh3.8 billion during the January to August period, with food and beverage revenue jumping 12 per cent to Dh1.5 billion.
Christopher Hewett, senior consultant at TRI Hospitality Consulting, attributed the rise in guest numbers to the Eid Al Fitr holiday during which many visitors from GCC countries opt to spend their holiday in the UAE.
With 2.2 million people having checked into hotels during the first eight months of the year, Hewett said that TCA’s target of attracting 3.1 million guests in 2014 was achievable.
“I think [TCA] is on track. The performance has been solid this year compared to last year. We’re entering into the busy period of the year, so I certainly believe this target is achievable,” he told Gulf News.
As for the outlook for the tourism sector in Abu Dhabi, Hewett said, “I think the outlook is strong. The level of demand has increased. Hotels are witnessing strong occupancy levels, the average rates for hotels have bottomed-out and we started to see an increase compared to 2013, so the outlook is bullish.”
Figures from TCA showed that India remained the emirate’s largest overseas source market for hotel guests as 142,613 Indians checked into Abu Dhabi during the first eight months of the year, representing a 33 per cent increase on the same time last year. Indian guests delivered 533,181 guest nights — a 16 per cent increase — and stayed an average of 3.8 nights.
TCA’s Al Daheri said he expected further increase from the Indian market with Etihad Airways’ plans to fly daily to Abu Dhabi from Kolkata starting February 2015.
