UAE hotels suffer their worst year on record as coronavirus bites

UAE hotels suffer their worst year on record as coronavirus bites

Hotels in the UAE suffered their worst year on record as the coronavirus pandemic played havoc with the country's tourism industry, new figures have confirmed.

Industry analysts STR has revealed the extent to which the virus hit occupancy levels and revenues across the UAE's hospitality sector, with both performance indicators falling to their lowest mark in its database.

Emirates Tourism Council has been approved by the UAE Cabinet and will be chaired by Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs

However, December occupancy and revenue per available room (RevPAR) (AED371.24) levels were the highest in the country since February, offering hope for 2021.

Average occupancy levels in the UAE throughout last year stood at 51.7 percent, down by nearly 30 percent on 2019, STR said.

It added that average daily rates (ADR) in hotels fell by more than 16 percent to AED418.83 while RevPAR slumped by 41 percent to AED216.45.

STR said in a statement: "Each of the three key performance metrics were the lowest for any year in STR's UAE database, but performance toward the end of the year pulled closer to pre-pandemic levels."

Tourists also still flocked to Dubai for the New Year celebrations despite the uncertainty created by the