A new report by the the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that the UAE tourism sector grew by 8% during the past three years.
In a statement on the occasion of the World Tourism Day which was marked on 27 September, the authority said that the growth of the UAE tourism industry continued at a rate of 2.9%. So far, the number of hotels in UAE has increased to 575, with Dubai accounting for 69%, or 399 hotels, of this total number.
Abu Dhabi comes second with 14% , or 81 hotels, of the total number of hotels in the UAE, followed by Sharjah with 8% (46 hotels).
The emirates of Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Qaiwain, combined, account for 9% of the total number of hotels of country.
The total number of rooms offered by the UAE tourism industry grew by 8.2% in 2012 to reach 88116 rooms, while the number of guests increased in 2011 by 19.3% to reach over 13.1 million in 2012.
16% of this total number came from the UAE, 13% from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and 7% from other Arab countries.
33% of the total number of guests at UAE hotels were European, and the remaining 31% were nationals of the rest of countries.
