Big numbers: Abu Dhabi records surges in hotel occupancy, airline bookings, mall footfall

Big numbers: Abu Dhabi records surges in hotel occupancy, airline bookings, mall footfall

The tourism sector in Abu Dhabi is showing signs of recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, with airlines, hotels and malls recently reporting improvements in key indicators.Carriers operating in the emirate noted a 119 percent increase in bookings and 364 percent jump in seating capacity during the third quarter of 2020, while malls saw footfall traffic going up by 83 percent, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) said in a statement on Sunday.Hotels in the emirate also saw guest numbers go up by 95 percent and revenues by 46 percent compared to the second quarter.The tourism sector has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Hotel occupancy, airline bookings and visitor traffic had plummeted worldwide after coronavirus brought global travel to a standstill.Feedback from stakeholdersDCT Abu Dhabi has recently conducted its quarterly industry development committee meeting where stakeholders and major entities from across the tourism sector shared the latest updates on the state of the tourism sector in the emirate.“The meeting offered promising signs of recovery for the sector, as well as a glimpse into future projects and plans to boost tourism in the emirate,” DCT Abu Dhabi said.It added that the latest indicators