Hotel guest numbers up 10.5% in Abu Dhabi

The number of hotel guests staying in Abu Dhabi rose by 10.5 per cent in August compared to the same period last year, according to the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) – Abu Dhabi.

Numbers from Saudi Arabia increased for a third consecutive month, surging by about 24 per cent year-onyear, while Indian visitors had a 22 per cent growth compared to a year earlier, the department said.

“For the year to date, we are showing almost a 6 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2017,” Saif Ghobash, undersecretary at DCT – Abu Dhabi, said yesterday.

“Our focus is still firmly fixed on the ultimate goal for 2018, another record breaking set of numbers.

“The hard work we are putting in to promote the emirate as a year-round destination in all our key markets is reaping dividends,” Mr Ghobash said.

Abu Dhabi was ranked the safest city in the world last week for the second year by Numbeo, a website that collates crime statistics on the world’s major cities, which may contribute to its attractiveness to overseas visitors.

According to the department’s figures, 477,606 visitors stayed at Abu Dhabi’s 162 hotels and hotel apartments in August, an increase of more than 45,000 from August 2017.

Hotel guests from China continued their growth journey during August, up almost 9 per cent on last year.

Since the start of the year, China has been Abu Dhabi’s No 1 market for tourists – up about 13 per cent in total compared to 2017.

Significant growth was also recorded in the US market, with the number of American guests increasing by almost 35 per cent in August.

Apart from the growing appeal of its latest attractions such as Warner Bros World, Abu Dhabi is aiming to attract more visitors through its upcoming marquee events such as Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi Food Festival and Abu Dhabi Art.

While double-digit growth was recorded across most of Abu Dhabi’s top international visitor markets last month, only hotel guests from Germany saw a decline.

All three regions of the emirate recorded a year-onyear increase in hotel guests for August, with Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra regions up by 11.2, 2.8 and 22.5 per cent respectively.

During the first eight months of the year, Abu Dhabi recorded more than 3.31 million guests, a 5.8 per cent boost in the total number of hotel guests to arrive in the emirate compared to last year.