The number of international tourists increased by 1.6% in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 8 months

Media In Abu Dhabi – 27 December 2018 / WAM /
The number of international tourists in Abu Dhabi and Dubai rose by 1.6% during the first eight months of 2018 compared with the same period in 2017, confirming the ability of the UAE tourism sector to continue to attract international visitors.
With the sustainability of activity in the tourism sector, the number of nights of occupancy of rooms and occupancy rate in general increased by 4.2% and 0.7% respectively in the period from January to August 2018 compared to the same period of 2017, according to the results of the analysis of figures issued by Dubai Tourism Marketing Corporation Commercial and Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.
As a result of the offers and discounts offered by hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the average daily price and revenue per available room decreased by 5.3% and 5.5% respectively during the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year. Foreign visitors to the country, the number of tourists from Russia increased by 64.8% with the support of easing visa rules, despite the devaluation of the ruble against the dirham.
The number of tourists coming from China and Germany rose by 11.6 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively, from January to August this year, in line with the appreciation of their currencies against the dirham.
The number of tourists coming from India increased by 2.3% after a slight rise of the dirham against the rupee. However, the number of tourists from the United Kingdom and Egypt declined, despite the appreciation of their currencies against the dirham.
The figures for the Emirate of Dubai show that the number of foreign visitors increased by 6.7% from the beginning of the year until the end of August 2018 compared to December 2017.
The number of hotel occupancy nights and the length of stay in hotel establishments in Dubai since the beginning of the year until August increased by 7.3% and 1% respectively. The number of international visitors to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi increased during the first eight months of this year by 6.7% December 2017.
As in Dubai, the number of room occupancy and length of stay in Abu Dhabi increased by 6.7% and 1%, respectively, from the beginning of this year until the end of August.
At the level of countries that are the main markets for incoming tourism to Dubai, official figures show an increase in the number of tourists coming from Russia by 64.4% since the beginning of this year, followed by Germany with 14.6% and China by 10.7%. The tourists to Dubai from the GCC are 29% and 19% Middle East and 10% North Africa while Western Europe and North America represent 21% and 6% of incoming tourism. Finally, 11% of the incoming tourism comes from the South Asia region.
With regard to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, most of the countries that are a major source of incoming tourism recorded an increase in the number of expatriates, with the exception of the Philippines, which recorded a slight decrease, likely to devalue their currency against the dirham.