Abu Dhabi records 19% rise in UK guests
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The number of Brits staying in Abu Dhabi’s hotels has increased by 19% in January-April year-on-year, according to new figures. Statistics from the Abu Dhabi Tourist Authority (ADTA) show that the UK remains the second biggest market after the UAE for Abu Dhabi and overall guest nights increased 26% to 2.1 million. This was boosted by a length in stay to just over three nights and helped raise occupancy levels 10% to 72%. Lawrence Franklin, strategy and policy director, ADTA attributed the success to the emirate’s events and promotions. “It’s a solid all-round performance which we look to maintain over the coming months with our six-weeks Summer in Abu Dhabi festival incentivising visitors, particularly those from within the GCC, with a range of headline entertainment, activities, discounts and value-add deals across attractions and hotels,” he explained. “We have reaped the benefits of various stakeholder initiatives including the Yas Show Weekends and the Etihad Airways-led ‘Essential Abu Dhabi’ incentive campaign, which continues to gain momentum.” A 15% drop in average room rate may have also encouraged Brits to travel to the destination, causing revenue per available room (revPAR) to drop 6%. Franklin added that although more hotels are under development in the country, he was confident the emirate would reach its hotel guest target. “Though we are gearing up for more accommodation product coming on line in the third quarter, we anticipate also a surge in demand resulting from a event-packed programme which includes November’s Grand Prix, the 40th National Day celebrations in early December and our headline New Year’s Eve celebrations to coincide with our two-week hosting of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet,” he said.
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