Hotels in Dubai have reported a 3.3 per cent increase in the first quarter of 2010, said an official of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) on Tuesday. Revenues for the first quarter were Dh3.77 billion as against Dh3.64 billion in the first quarter last year. “We are optimistic about 2010 but I would not like to make futuristic projections,” Saleh Al Geziry, Director Overseas Promotions and Inward Mission, DTCM.
Al Geziry added that new guest arrivals have also gone up in the first quarter this year. More than two million guests arrived in the first quarter as against 1.99 million in the first quarter last year, an increase of over five per cent.
“There are signs of recovery in Dubai hospitality sector with 7.58 million visitors having visited Dubai in 2009, an increase of one per cent against 2008. The number of rooms (hotel rooms) in Dubai too increased by 20 per cent,” said Al Geziry.
Meanwhile, analysts say that Dubai’s hotels have been doing well this year as compared to last year. While the R RevPAR (revenue per available room) declined in the regional hotels given a reduction in hotel room rates, occupancy levels have increased on the whole.
