Media ININ Economy We Trust
The UAE recorded the highest ignition rates among the hotel markets in the world, supported by the strong demand that Dubai witnessed in conjunction with Gulfood 2023, and the exhibitions (IDEX and NAVDEX 2023) in Abu Dhabi, according to the report of the “STR” institution, which specializes in hotel research and consulting. STR said that the UAE topped the world, recording first place in hotel occupancy rates, which amounted to 91.8% during the week starting from February 17, 2023. It added that this is the highest weekly level during the past four years.
The UAE has witnessed an active movement in flight reservations and the hotel sector since the beginning of this year, coinciding with the booming tourism season and hosting events and conferences. The report indicated that the hotel sector in the UAE recorded a very strong demand, with the launch of the Gulf Food Exhibition “Gulfood” in Dubai, in addition to the “International Defense Exhibition (IDEX 2023)” and the “Naval Defense Exhibition (NAVDEX 2023)” that were held in Abu Dhabi.
STR also indicated that hotel occupancy in Dubai during the Gulfood exhibition jumped to 94.3%. She said that the average hotel room rate in the UAE increased by 22.6% year-on-year in February, but it recorded a slight increase in available room revenue. The Foundation stated that the UAE was among the largest hotel markets in terms of revenue growth.
STR said that the Middle East and the Caribbean region achieved the highest occupancy rate of all continents, with a rate of 80% in both markets. The institution added, within the performance that measures the 10 largest countries in the world in terms of hotel supply, that the United Kingdom recorded occupancy by about 74.4%, then Japan 71.7%, then Mexico 71.4%, and China recorded about 69%.
And sources in the travel and tourism sector revealed that the UAE was witnessing an unprecedented travel movement during February, which the country had not witnessed since the start of the pandemic during this period of the year, indicating that flight occupancy had reached its highest levels from many destinations in the Middle East. And Europe, and some stations in Asia, with the support of events, and recreational tourism.
The sources indicated that the average occupancy of flights to and from UAE airports reached more than 80%, while it was higher than that from the main destinations, due to the lack of seat capacity in some markets and the increase in demand.
She indicated that this matter coincided with the holding of important events in the country, such as the Gulfood 2023 exhibition in Dubai, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors, participants and exhibitors, as well as the IDEX and NAVDEX 2023 exhibitions in Abu Dhabi.
On the other hand, a source in the hotel sector said that the tourism activity in Dubai continued from 2022 to 2023, in light of the high hotel reservations in January and February 2023, whether business or leisure tourism.
