The number of guests staying in Abu Dhabi hotels during 2009 increased 2%, to 1.54 million, according to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA). Guest numbers in the final quarter grew 16 percent year on year. Mubarak Al Muhairi, ADTA Director-General said “While the last 12 months have been challenging, as they have for all destinations, we believe growth is a very solid performance in the face of global decline.”
Al Muhairi said increase in domestic demand helped Abu Dhabi weather the downturn in the tourism industry caused by the global financial crisis and spread of H1N1. He said guest arrivals in Abu Dhabi hotels were 960,000 in 2004 and the ADTA is targeting 1.65 million hotel guests in 2010. The increase in the number of hotel/hotel apartments from 12,800 at the beginning of the year to 17,500 at the end of the year helped Abu Dhabi’s growth in hotel guests in 2009.
