Travel agencies and hotels: positively reflected on hotel occupancy and spending rates

The average stay of international tourists in Dubai during "Corona" increased to 4.2 nights

• Dubai hotels saw international guest registering 17.7 million hotel nights in 5 months.

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Managers and workers in hotels and travel agencies said that the average stay of international tourists in Dubai witnessed a noticeable increase during the "Corona" pandemic, which reflected positively on hotel occupancy, as well as the rates of spending per visitor.

They stated to Emirates Today that tourists prefer to spend more time upon their arrival in the emirate, stressing that these indicators are very positive for the tourism sector in Dubai.

In addition, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai revealed that the average length of stay for international tourists in the emirate has increased to 4.2 hotel nights between July and November 2020, an increase of 23.5%, compared to the same period in 2019.

growth

In detail, data issued by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) showed an increase in the average length of stay for international tourists in the emirate to 4.2 hotel nights during the period between July and November of last year, compared to 3.4 nights in the same period in 2019. And a growth rate of about 23.5%.

According to statistics, international tourist guests recorded, during that extended period, more than 17.7 million hotel nights.

Increased confidence

In addition, Haytham Omar, General Manager of Al Jaddaf Rotana Hotel, said that “in light of the measures that Dubai is following in terms of safety standards, including checks and measures taken at airports and hotel facilities, we have noticed an increase in the confidence of tourists by spending longer times during their vacations.” .

Omar added, "Most of the tourists currently come from relatively remote markets, and they travel for up to five hours on average, and therefore they prefer to spend more time upon their arrival in Dubai," pointing out that the tourism movement is very limited from the nearby markets now due to travel restrictions.

He explained that "the average stay for leisure tourists ranges from five to 10 nights, while for some it reaches two weeks," noting that the flexibility and ease of travel procedures are no longer the same as before, that is, before the Corona pandemic.

Omar added that "a large part of tourists were planning more than one vacation during one year, but now we are talking about fewer vacations for longer periods of stay."

Positive indicators

For his part, Executive Vice President of "Al Rayes Travel Company - Al Rayes Group", Mohammed Jassim Al Rayes, said, “The latest data issued by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai show a remarkable increase in the average stay of international tourists in the emirate during the (Covid-19) pandemic. », Stressing that these indicators are very positive for the tourism sector in the emirate, which witnessed great activity during the holiday season and the period that followed.

Al-Rayyes added that "in light of the travel procedures that require tourists from the point of departure to their arrival in Dubai, due to the current circumstances created by the pandemic, including the requirements for examinations, a large proportion of international tourists prefer to spend longer vacations."

He pointed out that this was reflected in the number of hotel nights recorded by visitors, starting last July, with the emirate opening its doors to international tourism.

Increase spending

And Al-Rayyes indicated that "the increase in the average number of hotel nights per tourist is directly reflected in the increase in the rate of spending per trip, which is a positive indicator under the current circumstances," adding that "this also contributes to supporting hotel revenues and sales, as well as restaurants and other major spending categories." Associated with tourism ».

He explained that "the increase in the number of hotel nights per tourist comparatively compensates for the decline in the global visitor influx due to the pandemic," noting that the hotel sector in Dubai has achieved strong indicators in terms of the occupancy rate.

High occupancy

In turn, the CEO of "Time Hotels Group", Muhammad Awadallah, said that "for international tourists, the indicators have already been good during the recent period," explaining that "the average period of stay for tourists in light of (Corona) has increased from about three nights to six nights. Hotel ».

He emphasized that this increase in the average length of stay has a direct effect on hotel establishments maintaining high occupancy rates in Dubai, adding: "In addition to that, we are talking about higher spending rates for one visitor compared to the previous period."

Awadallah said, "Visitors who have resorted to extending their vacations in Dubai recently, prefer to stay in the emirate for a longer period of time due to several factors, most notably its tourist attraction, moderate temperatures, as well as the confidence and reassurance factor for them."

Rates are high

The CEO of "Time Hotels Group", Mohamed Awadallah, expects that the group's hotels will achieve occupancy rates ranging between 80 and 85% during January, which are among the very high rates.

He said, "With the recent issuance of the visa extension decision, we noticed a number of visitors extending their vacations, especially in conjunction with the Dubai Shopping Festival."

The average length of stay for tourists in Dubai rose 23.5% between July and November 2020.

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