The UAE hospitality market saw a growth in occupancy in the first quarter of the year of 24 per cent, according to data from commercial real estate experts Colliers. Colliers’ executive director – head of hotels for the MENA region, Christopher Lund, said: “All markets in UAE saw an increase in performance levels in comparison to 2021, with Dubai and Sharjah observing the highest growth in occupancies. This can be attributed to increased demand during the winter holidays and last three months of Expo 2020.”
The six-month-long Expo 2020 attracted more than 24 million visitors to its Dubai location. Sharjah experienced a 114 percent increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) in comparison to the same period last year. Dubai led the way for new supply with 2,054 new rooms coming on stream in the first quarter of 2022.
Among them was a 70-suite resort property that opened in Dubai’s World Islands under Minor Hotels, Anantara brand, Anantara World Islands. TAJ opened its third property in Dubai, Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, Dubai,
Supply in the market is expected to increase 6 per cent between 2022 and 2024, with 13,900 new rooms. New tourist attractions expected to open this year are the Kalba Heritage Museum in Sharjah and the transformation of the Expo 2020 site into District 2020, a futuristic city.
Looking across the Middle East, demand in Kuwait City, Manama, Muscat, Doha and Amman has “recovered extensively” in Q1 2022. Doha experienced the most significant uplift in hospitality performance, partially due to the increase in exposure generated by the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament.
Dubai leading UAE hospitality
This month, Dubai tourism topped another global ranking, taking the top spot in hotel occupancy at 82 percent in the first quarter of 2022. Showcasing a successful tourism strategy, Dubai welcomed 3.97 million international overnight visitors between January and March 2022, up from 1.27 million visitors during the same period last year, according to data released by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2022.
Sheikh Hamdan added: “The exceptional number of visitors in the first three months of the year is testament to the fact that Dubai is at the forefront of global tourism recovery. These results attest to the emirate’s ability to develop a compelling new value proposition in a changing global environment and create innovative new offerings that meet the needs and preferences of the most discerning global travellers.
“In addition, the vast global diversity of its visitors reflects Dubai’s appeal as a destination that cuts across nationalities, regions and continents and its growing status as a city that bridges global markets and cultures.”
March 2022 was a particularly exceptional month for post-pandemic tourism arrivals, as the city welcomed 1.78 million international visitors, an 11 percent increase over pre-pandemic visitation. The city welcomed 1.61 million overnight visitors in March 2019. The emirate’s impressive Q1 2022 results also include a stellar performance by hotels that saw significant growth across key hospitality metrics.
Anantara World Islands Dubai
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