Abu Dhabi records 18% rise in hotel guests in October

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi hotels reported brisk demand in October with Chinese visitor arrivals to the emirate expanding at high double-digit figures, latest data released by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) show.
The tourism body said that 418,883 guests checked into Abu Dhabi’s 163 hotels and hotel apartments in October, or about 18 percent higher compared with the same month of last year. Year-to-date guest arrivals meanwhile rose by 8 percent to 3.9 million as of October.
“The emirate [is] on track to surpass last year’s record total of 4.4 million,” the tourism authority said, as it earlier predicted the number of international visitors to Abu Dhabi would reach 4.9 million this year, a 10 percent rise from 2016.
The Abu Dhabi tourism body said that the lifting of the visa restrictions on visitors from China at the beginning of the year underpinned a 88 percent rise in tourists from the Asian country to 32,000 during the month.
The benefits reaped from the department’s extensive marketing campaigns across the country including the new ‘Abu Dhabi Week in China’ initiative held recently in Shanghai, the agency said.
Guest arrivals from the US also rose by 80 percent to 18,000 during the month, while major source markets UK and India reported 26 percent and 22 percent increase in visitors to the emirate, respectively.
“Our sustained efforts in improving the worldwide appeal of Abu Dhabi to tourists for both business and leisure is continuing to reap rewards, with the latest figures for guest arrivals supporting our endeavors,” Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director-General of DCT, said in a statement.
“Record numbers of people are staying in our expansive choice of accommodation across all three regions of the emirate and we aim to sustain and improve on this growth throughout Q4, traditionally our busiest time of the year.”
The Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island was opened early this month as the Abu Dhabi government refocuses its economy on non-oil sectors for growth, and has been extensively marketed by the emirate as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of tourism.
Louvre Abu Dhabi will display more than 700 exhibits, with artwork and artifacts from all over the world.