The emirate hosted more than 4.9mln hotel guests last year
Speaking on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market 2018, Mubarak Rashed Al Nuaimi, director of promotion and overseas offices, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, said the capital has 161 hotels and 31,000 rooms while an additional 4,000 rooms are scheduled to open in 2018.
Abu Dhabi received 4.9 million hotel guests last year, exceeding expectations, Al Nuaimi said, adding that he expects stronger growth in the number of visitors this year - thanks to the opening of new attractions such as the Louvre Museum, an indoor amusement park by Warner Brothers and Qasr Al Hosn.
"We received more than 4.9 million hotel guests last year, exceeding our target. In the first 2 months of 2018, we saw an increase of 10 per cent in hotel guests over the same months last year and expect to grow even better in the remainder of the year. We are expecting to cross last year's figures as new attractions such as the Warner Brothers amusement park and Qasr Al Hosn will attract a lot more visitors to Abu Dhabi," Al Nuaimi added.
By 2021, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority is targeting 8.5 million visitors.
He noted that a substantial number of tourists are coming from China and the Indian market is also performing well.
"The UK market in Europe and Saudi Arabia in GCC are doing good too. Plus, the domestic market is booming. In addition, with the introduction of visa on arrival, tourists from Russia and China are also on the rise," Al Nuaimi added.
Kamal Fakhoury, CEO, Cristal Group, said he is very optimistic about 2018 given the extent of activity going on in the tourism and hospitality sector in Abu Dhabi.
"There is a lot to look forward to as the nation is celebrating the Year of Zayed. Recently, the capital has also added a number of exciting attractions such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi that are driving the leisure sector. The Yas Island is a big success as well and soon we will be seeing the opening of Warner Brothers theme park," Fakhoury added.
Aly Shariff, chief operating officer, Citymax Hotels, said for visitors coming to the GCC, it is mainly about experiences because cities such as Abu Dhabi position themselves as a destination for resorts, beaches and guaranteed sunshine.
He pointed out that another good opportunity which could be tapped is medical tourism. "We have some of the best doctors, medical facilities as well as top brands available here. If we can build on that, I see it becoming a global hub for medical tourism," Shariff added.
According to latest statistics from the Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre, the tourism sector in Abu Dhabi is among the country's key economic sectors and is a leading priority of the local government as part of its efforts to diversify resources.
The information issued by the Centre also highlighted an increase in the price of hotel amenities by 1.8 per cent in February compared to January, despite an annual decrease of 22.7 per cent.
The price of hotel rooms decreased by 1.4 per cent in February while the price of hotel apartments decreased by 3.6 per cent during the same month. Industry experts believe this is due to the promotions offered by hotel establishments to encourage domestic and foreign tourists. Total hotel proceeds reached Dh5.62 billion at the end of December 2017.
Emiel Van Dijk, general manager, Swiss Hotel, said Abu Dhabi is a much more attractive place for visitors to stay longer in comparison with other destinations regionally as it gives cross exposure with cultural and entertainment attractions. He pointed out that Etihad's strong connectivity also complements the local hospitality and tourism industry.
"Cultural attractions are very famous; the Louvre Museum is known worldwide; new entertainment and theme parks attractions are coming up there as well. All these will support growth further," he said.
According to HMH - Hospitality Management Holding - chief operating officer, Ferghal Purcell, the driving factors for the hospitality and tourism industry are a combination of 3 issues - price, quality and service. "Each in their own will not drive the tourism industry but as a collective entity, they are the foundation for success."
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