Beach hotels in Dubai thriving

hotels across the UAE suffered great losses in 2009 owing to declines in occupancy given the global financial crisis. The hotels and tourism industry accounted for 19 per cent of Dubai’s economy in 2008, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing reported. “The hotel market is closest to the bottom of cycle and is showing signs of recovery with beach hotels leading the way, showing positive growth in both occupancy and revenue per available room,” added the report.

Occupancy for beach hotels in the first quarter rose by 9.2 per cent, while rates fell by 7.9 per cent. However, as compared to 2008, the revenue per available room (RevPAR) is down by 22 per cent, said the report.