Abu Dhabi hotels report higher occupancy levels in April

DUBAI: Occupancy levels in Abu Dhabi hotels rose in April despite the lack of major events in the emirates that would have meant a high volume of bookings during the month.
In fact, according to industry watcher STR, it was the “second consecutive April with occupancy growth in Abu Dhabi.”
“In fact, the absolute occupancy level would be the highest for an April in the market since 2008,” STR said in its preliminary analysis for Abu Dhabi hotels.
Occupancy rate in Abu Dhabi hotels rose 2.7 percent to 80 percent in April, as demand rose 6.9 percent and supply increased 4.1 percent.
Average daily rate (ADR) was down 3.3% in 432.12 dirhams, which resulted into a 0.7 percent decline in revenue per available room (RevPAR) to 345.88 dirhams. ADR is an industry bellwether which measures realized room rental per day, while RevPAR is calculated by multiplying a hotel’s ADR by its occupancy rate.
“ADR decreases have been common in the market with supply growth a factor in that trend,” STR said.
Abu Dhabi is targeting to attract 8.5 million tourists a year by 2021 and has been ramping up efforts to promote the emirate as a culture and heritage destination, especially with the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi, the only regional presence of the famous French museum.
The emirate expects to welcome 5.5 million hotel guests this year, up from about 5 million in 2017.