Surge in Russian visitors as Abu Dhabi and Dubai witness rise in tourists
Tourists from China and Germany increased by 11.6% and 14.7% in first 8 months of 2018
The combined number of tourists visiting Abu Dhabi and Dubai increased by 1.6% during the first eight months of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017, according to statistics from the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) Dubai and the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism.
Tourists from Russia rose by 64.8% as a fall in the value of the Russian currency against the dirham was offset by the loosening of entry visa requirements.
In a statement issued on the UAE’s official news service WAM, the authorities said the figures confirm, “the capacity of the UAE’s tourism sector to attract international visitors.”
Room occupancy and general occupancy rates increased by 4.2% and 0.7%, respectively, from January to August 2018, compared to the same period in 2017.
Due to the offers and discounts offered by hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, said the authorities, their average daily room prices decreased by 5.3% and 5.5% respectively during the first eight months of the current year compared to the same period last year.
In addition to the rise in Russian tourists, the number of tourists from China and Germany increased by 11.6% and 14.7% on the back of a weakening in dirham against the Yuan and Euro.
While the number of tourists from India increased by 2.3%, tourists from the United Kingdom, Pakistan, the Philippines and Egypt decreased .
Dubai saw an increase in the number of foreign tourists by 6.7% from January to August 2018, compared to December 2017 with the total hotel occupancy nights and length of stay of hotel establishments increasing by 7.3% and 1%, respectively. The number of international visitors visiting Abu Dhabi increased during the first eight months of the current year by 6.7 per cent compared to December 2017.
