Gulf hotels continue to benefit from Arab Spring in Nov

Middle East hotels continued to benefit from the impact of the Arab Spring in November as tourists diverted from northern Africa, STR Global said on Friday. While occupancy, average rates and revenue per available room (revPAR) all slumped in Africa, hotels in the Middle East saw strong demand growth and reported increases in the key indicators, STR Global's latest data showed. Overall, the Middle East/Africa region reported mostly negative performance results during November, weighed by tourism centres like Cairo which reported a 47 percent drop in occupancy compared to November 2010. Cairo also posted a 14.4 percent decrease in average rates to $112.29 and a 55 percent decline in revPAR to just $44. By contrast, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia saw an 11.7 percent rise in ADR to $285.07, and Dubai posted an 11.3 percent increase to $279.06. Dubai (up 19.5 percent to $243.56) and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (up 14.3 percent to $161.49) were the best revPAR performers in November, STR Global added. “Due to the Arab Spring starting early this year across northern Africa, the performances between Africa and the Middle East differ greatly," said Elizabeth Randall, managing director of STR Global. “The month of November saw the continued trend of the past few months. Africa reported declining demand (-7 percent) and drops in occupancy, average rate and RevPAR. RevPAR only grew in January against the prior year. "The Middle East, partly benefiting from the influx of visitors who diverted from Northern Africa, saw strong demand growth and reporting increases in the key indicators for November and year-to-date."