Abu Dhabi hotel guests up 14% in May

Abu Dhabi hotel guests increased by 14 percent in May compared to the same month the previous year, official figures show.

Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) said 161,004 people stayed in one of the UAE capital's 116 licenced hotels and hotel apartments last month.

This took the total number of hotel guests during the first five months of the year to 790,812 – a 16 percent increase over the same period in 2009.

"We are well on course to achieve our 2010 target of 1.65 million hotel guests," said Mubarak Al Muhairi, ADTA director general.

"With the planned opening of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi this October and the peak Grand Prix season yet to come, target attainment is well within our reach."

On Sunday, STR Global released its latest figures which showed the UAE capital continued to weigh on the performance of Middle Eastern hotels last month, with the emirate showing the largest declines in occupancy, average daily rates and revenue per available room (revPAR).

"Increased room inventory on last year has made the market much more competitive and impacted occupancy and revenue levels,” Al Muhairi admitted.

“The upside, of course, is that the destination as a whole now sits in a much more competitive position than it was a year ago which, in the long term, will be sustainable benefits.”

Abu Dhabi currently has around 17,500 hotel and hotel apartment rooms compared to about 12,500 in May 2009, the ADTA said.

Occupancy levels were 61 percent this May – a 17 percent decline on May last year, while revenue declined 9 percent to AED330m. Food and beverage revenue for the first five months of the year showed a 14 percent increase on 2009 figures.