Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi hotels have welcomed 3.6 million guests during the first 11 months of this year, a 25 per cent rise over the same period last year, data showed on Monday.
According to the Department of Culture and Tourism’s latest figures, occupancy rates in Abu Dhabi hotels reached 70 per cent in the first 11 months of this year, up 1 per cent over the same time last year. Additionally, tourists spent an average of 3.1 nights in hotels.
Data also revealed a 27 per cent rise in hotel revenues at Dh4.7 billion in the first 11 months compared to the same period last year.
The department’s statistics also disclosed that the average available room revenue was Dh249, a rise of 23 per cent over last year, while the average room price in the capital’s hotels was Dh355, up 21 per cent.
The majority of hotel guests in the capital’s hotels were Emiratis (29 per cent of all visitors, or 1.062 million people).
In terms of non-Emirati nationalities, Indians took the lead, accounting for 12 per cent of all visitors, or 426,000 guests, an increase of 31 per cent from the same period last year. They were followed by Britain, Egypt, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia, each with 4 per cent of visitors, with 161,000 British guests, an increase of 88 per cent, 152,000 Egyptian visitors, an increase of 10 per cent, 145,000 Filipino guests, and 135,000 Saudi visitors, an increase of 225 per cent.
According to the department’s data, Pakistan came in sixth place with 106,000 visitors, an increase of 16 per cent, followed by the US (105,000 guests, an increase of 55 per cent). Jordan had a rise of 5 per cent in visitor numbers to 80,000, while Oman saw an increase of 177 per cent to 67,000, and France reported an increase of 71 per cent to 64,000.
The department’s data also showed that the number of guests at five-star hotels increased significantly over the course of 11 months, by 34 per cent to 1.598 million, with an average occupancy rate of 62 per cent, up 3 per cent over the year-ago period. Meanwhile, the number of guests at four-star hotels increased by 21 per cent to 1.14 million guests with an average occupancy rate of 78 per cent, up 3 per cent.
One-star, two-star, and three-star hotels had a 17 per cent increase in guests to 555,000, with an average occupancy rate of 73 per cent. Hotel apartments saw an increase of 13 per cent with 344,000 visitors. The average occupancy rate was 80 per cent.
With 3.188 million guests, a 27 per cent rise, Abu Dhabi city accounted for the greatest proportion of hotel guests, while Al Ain hotels welcomed 331,000 guests, a 10 per cent increase, followed by hotels in the Al Dhafra region, which welcomed 118,000 guests, a 17 per cent increase.
