Abu Dhabi saw a 12 percent increase on the number of hotel guests staying in the emirate last month compared to April 2009, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) said on Sunday.
ADTA said that during the 167,635 guests stayed in the emirate’s 110 licensed hotels and hotel apartments last month.
This accounted for 425,575 guest nights – a 13 percent rise on April 2009.
The April results bring Abu Dhabi’s hotel guest 2010 tally to date to 622,731 guests – 16 percent up on the first four months of last year and over 1.68 million guest nights – a 10 percent year-on-year increase.
“This is the sixth consecutive month of double digit guest growth for the emirate and keeps us on track to deliver our overall yearly target of 1.65 million hotel guests,” explained Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, ADTA.
However, while guest numbers are up, revPAR (revenue per available room) plummeted by 48.5 percent to $126.34 in April, its fourth month of double-digit falls compared to 2009 figures – according to STR Global.
Abu Dhabi now boasts 17,240 hotel/hotel apartment rooms – compared to 12,470 in April last year.
The increase has placed competitive pressure on occupancy and revenue which dropped year-on-year by 19 percent to 65 percent and by 5 percent to AED362m ($99m) respectively.
The emirate’s 46 hotel apartments achieved a healthier average occupancy rate of 73 per cent while food and beverage revenues experienced solid year-on-year growth of 15 per cent.
“These movements are a result of shifts in supply and demand dynamics and the subsequent rebalancing with the upside being that Abu Dhabi is now much more competitive,” added Al Muhairi.
