UAE hotels at 62 pct occupancy, record revenues of over $3 bln ahead of Expo 2020

UAE hotels at 62 pct occupancy, record revenues of over $3 bln ahead of Expo 2020

The United Arab Emirates’ tourism sector achieved a hotel occupancy rate of 62 percent in the first half of 2021, outperforming 10 major tourism destinations as the industry recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates News Agency WAM reported on Sunday.

The countries that it outperformed included: China, with an occupancy rate of 54 percent, the US at 45 percent, Mexico at 38 percent, the UK at 37 percent and Turkey at 36 percent.

The country’s hotel and tourism establishments brought in 8.3 million guests, 30 percent of which were domestic tourists, during the first half of the year, recording a growth rate of 15 percent compared to its corresponding half in 2020.

The sector recorded 35 million nights spent by guests in UAE hotels, reflecting a growth of 30 percent while the average length of their stay increased to 4.1 nights, accounting for a 12.5 increase.

Hotel revenues grew by 31 percent, reaching over $3 billion (11.3 billion AED).

Dr. Ahmad Belhoul al-Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, told WAM that the country’s high vaccination rate, which has surpassed 80 percent now and is one of the highest in the world, played an