US customs and immigration is right at Abu Dhabi airport allowing airlines to fly to the US from domestic flights. This is, of course, a big push for Abu Dhabi to become an attractive destination and a good gateway to fly to the UAE.
The first 8 months of 2018 saw a 26% rise in hotel guest numbers from American travelers in the UAE capital, and recorded a 5.8% boost in the total year-to-date number of hotel guests to the emirate compared to last year.
The number of hotel guests staying in Abu Dhabi during August rose by 10.5% compared to the same month in 2017, with double-digit growth in most key source markets underpinning the upward trend, latest figures released by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) for the emirate’s hospitality sector have revealed.
With the emirate’s popularity with visitors boosted by the annual Abu Dhabi Summer Season, August’s results show that the Department’s targets of improving upon 2017’s record-breaking numbers of guest arrivals, when close to five million people stayed in the emirate, are firmly on track.
In total 477,606 visitors enjoyed stays at one of Abu Dhabi’s 162 hotels and hotel apartments during August, an increase of more than 45,000 over August 2017. For the first eight months of the year, the figures show Abu Dhabi has recorded more than 3.31 million guests, a 5.8% boost in the total number of hotel guests to the emirate compared to last year.
Double-digit growth was recorded across most of Abu Dhabi’s top international visitor markets during August, with only the number of hotel guests from Germany declining during versus 2017.
The Chinese market recorded a strong improvement during this month, up by almost 9% compared to August 2017 and on a year-to-date basis, China is still Abu Dhabi’s number one source market – up about 13% in total compared to 2017.
Significant growth was also recorded in the number of Indian hotel guests, with 22% growth during the month of August compared to the previous year. Saudi guests increased for a third consecutive month during August, recording a growth of about 24% compared to August 2017. This translates to 6.1% growth Year-To-Date.
In addition, the US market also continued to perform extremely well, with the number of American guests increasing by almost 35% in August. For the Year-To-Date, American hotel guests were up almost 26% compared to 2017.
The UK posted a more modest 3.6% increase for the month, but despite this, for the Year-To-Date, visitors from the UK are up by 8%.
HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary, DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “The latest report gives us confidence that we are on track for another record-breaking year. The performance for these first eight months of 2018 have been boosted by the enduring popularity of Abu Dhabi Summer Season, which ran from June into August. The hard work we are putting in to promote the emirate as a year-round destination in all our key markets is reaping dividends.
“For the Year-To-Date, we are showing almost a 6 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2017. Our focus is still firmly fixed on the ultimate goal for 2018 – another record breaking set of numbers. With marquee events still to come – The Etihad Airways Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , our annual art and food festivals, the end-of-year celebratory events – as well as the growing appeal of our latest attractions such as Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi, we are in a strong position to achieve our targets.”
All three regions of the emirate recorded a year-on-year increase in hotel guests for August, Abu Dhabi up 11.2%. Al Ain Region, up 2.8% and Al Dhafra Region up 22.5%, with Occupancy Rates also up in Al Ain and Al Dhafra (5.6% and 8.4% respectively).
After the boost provided by the extensive entertainment and promotional event Abu Dhabi Summer Season represented, the emirate now moves towards the later part of the year, when the events calendar adds even more appeal to the emirate as a destination. The Etihad Airways Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the annual Abu Dhabi Art event, the gourmet-focused Abu Dhabi Food Festival are all marquee events expected to prove big draws.
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