April was a record month for Abu Dhabi’s hotels. The emirate, which has over 140 hotels, registered a growth in its hospitality sector. That was reported by TCA Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority).
Last month, hotels in UAE’s capital saw a 20% rise in hotel occupancy rate compared to April 2012. As a result, the number of checked-in visitors reached 236,704, while the guest nights increased three times hitting the record 738,797.
However, among the most impressive and positive growth was witnessed in the average length of stay in the city’s hotels which jumped to 3.12 nights. According to TCA Abu Dhabi, that is 8% more compared to one year ago.
In April, the revenue in the sector increased with the massive 18%, reaching $127.6 million (Dh468,474,193). In addition, the revenue from food and beverage was equal to Dh183,853,608, which is a rise of 16%. The growth in room revenue was even higher jumping with 21% and reaching Dh238,135,624. Also, the occupancy rate rose with an average of 12% over the past one year. The only downtrend that was registered in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry last month was the decrease of the average room rate. In April, it amounted to Dh453 which is a fall of 6%.
The record figures in April are a result of two main things. The first of them is the big events which took place in Abu Dhabi last month. Among them were, for example, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair and the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit.
The second factor which led to this rise is the stable growth which Abu Dhabi registered in the sector over the past few months. From January to April, the city’s hotels saw a 10% jump in the number of guests which reached nearly 870,000. In addition, the guest nights rate increased with 25% hitting 2.9 million, while the occupancy rose to 73%. Also, on the average, the increase in the total revenue was estimated at Dh1.9 billion.
Domestic tourism in Abu Dhabi continues to be strong. During the first four months of 2013, over 280,000 of the hotel guest in the city were from UAE. Their average length of stay was equal to 2.29. Abu Dhabi’s hotels are also very popular among UK travelers who stayed 4.71 nights on the average. In addition, about 54,000 of the guests in the city over the first few months of the year were Britons.
