Abu Dhabi's nine-month hotel revenues hit $838m

Total hotel revenue in Abu Dhabi rose six percent to just over AED3bn ($838m) in the first nine months of 2011 compared to the same period last year. Room revenues made up $439m of the total, which was an increase of four percent, while food and beverage income reached $307m, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority said on Saturday. The number of visitors staying in Abu Dhabi's hotels rose 14 percent in the first nine months of this year, ADTA added. To date, some 1,514,587 guests have stayed in the UAE capital, with 166,805 hotel guests visiting last month - a 29 percent increase on September 2010. "These increases can primarily be attributed to Eid Al Fitr falling in the first week of September and Ramadan falling entirely in August this year as opposed to being spread over August and September last year," said Lawrence Franklin, strategy & policy director, ADTA. "If the September performance can be replicated over the final three months of the year we will reach our stretch 2011 target of two million hotel guests." The rising number of hotel guests this year has led to a 25 percent year-on-year increase in guest nights to almost 4.5 million, a 10 percent rise in length of stay to 2.97 days and a nine percent jump in occupancy rates to 67 percent, he added. Guest growth was recorded across all key markets between January and September, with the strongest coming from the GCC (up 29 percent), Asia (24 percent) and other Arab nations and Europe (both 19 percent). "Europe's high growth rate was primarily influenced by France, which rose 24 percent as well as both the UK and Germany, which each increased by 18 percent," Franklin said. ADTA said the UK remains Abu Dhabi's top international market with some 98,461 British nationals staying in the emirate's hotels this year, followed by India and the US.