Big events boost Kuwait and Oman hotels in May

Hotels in Oman and Kuwait experienced a strong month in May, boosted by the arrival of a number of major events and exhibitions.

In Oman, occupancy went up by 9.1 points, according to MKG Hospitality, an increase similar to that in the previous month. Muscat welcomed a number of events during the month, including Global Education for All Meeting (GEM) and MIJEX (Muscat International Jewellery Exhibition).

Meanwhile, in Kuwait there was a 16.6% increase in RevPAR, with the Kids World event and the Kuwait International Trade Fair both under way.

Elsewhere in the GCC, Saudi Arabia saw stable hotel performances, with Jeddah seeing a strong occupancy rates (82.3%) and rising average daily rates (up 6.7%). Its RevPAR also improved by 3.3% year-on-year.

In the UAE, MKG said that performances showed “slight improvement”. “All hoteliers in the Emirates, except in Abu Dhabi, posted a decrease in occupancy rates,” it said.

“The positive variation of the RevPAR has been driven by the rise in rates. Different events like the Middle East Show in Dubai, the Air Show and the Smart Data Summit took place in May.”

In Egypt, RevPAR was down in all cities, with a lack of international tourists hurting hoteliers. According to MKG, many of these tourists have been switching to Morocco or Jordan

Hotel occupancy rates in Jordan improved by nearly 5 points, with average daily rates going up by nearly 5.3%. In the capital Amman, RevPAR rose by 15.1%.