UAE tourism industry grows 8% in 3 years

Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said the country’s tourism sector grew by 8 per cent in the last three years after the global financial crisis.

NBS, in a statement on the occasion of the World Tourism Day that fell September 27, said that the growth of the UAE tourism industry continued at a rate of 2.9 per cent, and the number of hotels increased to 575, with Dubai accounting for 69 per cent, or 399 hotels, of this total number.

Abu Dhabi comes second with 14 per cent or 81 hotels, of the total number of hotels in the UAE, followed by Sharjah with 8 per cent (46 hotels).

The emirates of Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain, combined, account for 9 per cent of the total number of hotels of country.

The total number of rooms offered by the UAE tourism industry grew by 8.2 per cent in 2012 to reach 88,116 rooms, while the number of guests increased from 2011 by 19.3 per cent to reach over 13.1 million in 2012.