Arab tourism growth in Abu Dhabi hotels

Hotels in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi welcomed approximately 462,700 Arab arrivals in the first nine months of the year, indicating a 16% rise from 2014, according to official statistics.

Data by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority revealed the largest numbers came from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar, respectively, followed by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.

The data shows the number of visitors from the GCC region grew 20% to 205,900, compared with 171,989 in the same period of 2014.

Visitors from Saudi Arabia accounted for 54% (112,200 visitors) of the total number of visitors who came from the GCC region, compared with 87,100 in the same period last year, representing an increase of 29%.

Arrivals from non-GCC Arab countries saw a total of 256,800 visitors to the emirate, increasing 13% compared with 227,600 visitors in the same nine-month period of 2014.

In total, the overall number of visitors from all nationalities, grew by 21%, exceeding three million.