Abu Dhabi hits tourism goal on surge of China

Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s oil-rich capital, saw its best year on record for hotel bookings aided by a boost in tourists from China and India, the city’s state tourism agency has said.   The Gulf emirate saw 2,111,611 people check into its hotels during 2011, bypassing its target of attracting two million guests by more than 110,000. Guest nights rose 22 percent on the year-earlier period while occupancy levels rose seven percent, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority said. Hotel revenue jumped to AED4.4bn, bolstered by a 30 percent rise in visitors from India and a 15 percent surge in tourists from China. “This is a highly encouraging result,” said Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, ADTA chairman. “It leaves us well placed to build for 2012 for which we had initially targeted 2.3m but, in conjunction with stakeholders, will now reassess to see if this too, can be stretched.” ADTA data showed regional tourism accounted for 39 percent of arrivals in 2011. India is now the Gulf emirate’s second-largest international source market after 108,170 guests visited Abu Dhabi in 2011. China was up 15 percent to 16,795 guests. Travellers from Europe made up 18 percent of tourism into the city, heavily influenced by UK visitors, ADTA said.  Britain remains Abu Dhabi’s biggest international source market accounting for 139,319 of all hotel nights. Oil-rich Abu Dhabi has invested billions to bolster its tourism market, unveiling attractions such as Ferrari World and the Yas Marina Circuit, home to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Attractions in the pipeline include the Yas Island Water Park, Adventure World Abu Dhabi, and the Saadiyat cultural district’s three museums, the Guggenheim, the Louvre and the Zayed National Museum. The growing network of planes and routes of Abu Dhabi’s flagship carrier, Etihad Airways, is also helping to boost tourism figures, ADTA said.