Abu Dhabi has recorded a 16 percent year-on-year rise in the number of hotel guests during the first ten months of this year, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) said on Tuesday.
Between January and October 2010, the number of guests who stayed in the UAE capital’s 118 hotels and hotel apartments reached 1,477,978, the ADTA data revealed.
Figures also showed that the total number of hotel guest nights rose 15 percent year-on-year to 4,096,140 for the same period.
"Our tourism proposition is at its most compelling and the task going forward to maintain this upward momentum," said Lawrence Franklin, strategy and policy director at ADTA.
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Domestic tourism rose 15 percent to 616,238, while international guests were up 17 percent, with the UK proving to be the biggest market and accounting for 420,204 tourists in the first ten months.
The US was the next most important market, growing 35 percent and accounting for 344,183 guest nights. Russia attracted 35,787 guest nights, a rise of 13 percent, and the ADTA plans to focus on this market later this year by opening of a Russian destination promotion office by the end of the year.
However, the growth in hotel stock had an impact on occupancy and revenue levels, the ADTA confirmed. Occupancy in the ten month period fell 16 percent year-on-year to 63 percent and revenue was down five percent to AED3.2bn ($888m) between January and October.
Hotel food and beverage revenues in the UAE capital reached AED1.1bn ($305m), a year-on-year rise of 13 percent and now accounts for 36 percent of all hotel revenues, the ADTA added.
Looking ahead to 2011, Abu Dhabi is looking to attract 1.9m hotel guests, which will require another 15 percent growth next year.
"We are confident we can achieve this because our leisure proposition has, and will, continue to grow,” Franklin added.
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