Dubai hotels see 5% rise in guests

Despite a global slowdown in the travel business, hotels in Dubai registered a five percent increase in the number of people in the first half of 2009 to host 3.85 million numbers in comparison with the same period the previous year, said the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) yesterday.

While the five-star beach hotels posted an average occupancy of 90 percent in the first week of August 2009 In July, the total number of GCC tourists who stayed in five, four and three star hotels in Dubai first half year amounted to 64,102, marking an increase of 35 percent over the same period last year.

This significant increase is largely due to the DTCM to promote summer programs, including Kids Go Free, DTCM said in a statement.

“The DTCM of marketing initiatives and promotions, in cooperation with the hoteliers and professionals of the tourism industry, has greatly contributed in achieving the high growth and maintenance of robust tourism economy,” said Khalid bin A Sulayem, DTCM Director General, in a statement.

Dubai currently has a total of 58,147 hotel rooms and apartments, 40,943 hotel rooms and 17,204 hotel apartment floors, the emirate has witnessed a 17 percent increase during the first half of 2008, said DTCM.

What also adds momentum to the hotels in Dubai “guest numbers is the fact that Dubai hotels continue to lead the world in profitability, with net profits, or margins of 35 percent in 2009, according to industry executives .

CBRE Hotels according to the data, the net benefit of five star hotels in Dubai above the rest 30 percent in the second quarter of 2009, while in 2008, the average margin of five-star properties were 35 to 38 percent. And his years, is likely to be between 32 and 37 per cent.

The momentum is likely to remain in the second half of the year, with occupancy levels remaining at optimal levels, according to CBRE Hotels.

Company data show that the occupancy rate of hotels in Dubai for the second half of 2009 is expected to be at 68 percent.

Having witnessed up to 60 percent on average the price of the room for almost a year, Dubai hotels will raise rates by up to 30 percent in the fourth quarter, a senior executive of CBRE Hotels recently told Emirates Business.

Sharjah, on the other hand, reported a 11.8 per cent in the number of guests in the first half of this year. Guest number fell to 671,662 from 761,495 in the period in the same period in 2008, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development (SCTDA) revealed recently.