Abu Dhabi records 10.5% growth in hotel guests in August

The number of hotel guests staying in Abu Dhabi during the month of August increased by 10.5% compared to the same month in 2017, with double-digit growth in most major source markets underpinning the upward trend darik elwan, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, DCT Abu Dhabi, for the emirate's hospitality sector.

With the emirate's popularity among visitors boosted by Abu Dhabi's annual summer season, the August results show that the department's goals of improving the record number of guest arrivals in 2017, when nearly five million people stayed in the emirate, are on track.

In total, 477,606 visitors enjoyed stays in one of the 162 hotels and hotel apartments in Abu Dhabi during August, an increase of more than 45,000 over August 2017. In the first eight months of the year, figures show that Abu Dhabi has recorded more than 3.31 million guests, representing a 5.8 percent increase in the total number of guests at the emirate's hotels compared to last year.

Double-digit growth was recorded in August in most of Abu Dhabi's major international visitor markets, with only the number of hotel guests from Germany declining compared to 2017.The Chinese market recorded a strong improvement this month, with an increase of nearly 9% compared to August 2017, and so far this year China remains Abu Dhabi's main home market, with a total increase of about 13% compared to 2017.

There was also significant growth in the number of hotel guests in India darik elwan, with a 22% increase during August compared to the previous year. Saudi Arabian guests increased for the third consecutive month during August, registering a growth of around 24% compared to August 2017. This translates into a 6.1% year-on-year growth.

In addition, the US market also continued to perform very well, with the number of US guests increasing by almost 35% in August. For the year to date, guests at U.S. hotels increased by almost 26 percent compared to 2017.The United Kingdom recorded a more modest 3.6 percent increase in the month, but despite this, for the Year to Date, visitors from the UK have increased by 8 percent.

Saif Saeed Ghobash, Deputy Secretary of DCT Abu Dhabi darik elwan, said: "The latest report gives us confidence that we are on track for another record year. The results of these first eight months of 2018 have been boosted by the enduring popularity of Abu Dhabi's summer season, which ran from June to August. The hard work we are doing to promote the emirate as a year-round destination in all our key markets is paying dividends.