Abu Dhabi – Hotels in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates welcomed 2,413,230 guests in the first half of this year, up 5% from H1 2017, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism (DCT) said.
June saw 339,592 guests, up 6% year-on-year. The information was me public this Tuesday (31) by Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Last month’s numbers were driven by guests from Saudi Arabia, up 57% year-on-year, and the United States, up 27%.
“June’s figures are for certain a reflection of visitors inspired by all Abu Dhabi offered during the Holy Month of Ramadan, but we are also confident other attractions played a part, including the ongoing Abu Dhabi Summer Season, which began on June 21st,” WAM quoted DCT undersecretary Saif Saeed Ghobash as saying.
He also said H1 statistics indicate that the emirate should see all-time high guest numbers for the second year in a row. The goal is to exceed the 5 million guests from 2017.
“We will continue to focus hard on our key markets for the second half of the year, with milestone events, such as the Etihad Airways Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Art, and new world-class attractions opening, in the shape of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, we are confident we will finish the year as robustly as we began it,” Ghobash said.
The DCT also reported that guests from India – the leading issuer of travelers to the UAE – were up 3.7% in June and 19% in H1. United Kingdom visitors increased by 14.5% in June and 12.9% in H1. The numbers include 162 hotels in Abu Dhabi.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
