According to the latest figures released by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the UAE emirate welcomed more than 10 million visitors, made up of both day-trippers and overnight guests, in 2018. Abu Dhabi’s cultural assets alone have attracted more than 2,672,732 people to the emirate. More than 354,000 cruise passengers visited Abu Dhabi in 2018.
Abu Dhabi has added a slew of tourism projects and infrastructures like Louvre Abu Dhabi at the famous Yas Island, a leisure and entertainment hub in the region, reopening of the iconic Qasr Al Hosn, among others recently that have tremendously added to its destination profile.
Furthermore, world-class events such as Special Olympics that it will host in 2019 or beating off competition to host the World Energy Congress, one of the world’s most important energy forums, have also added to its global reputation.
Abu Dhabi has witnessed an increase of 13.62 per cent in hotel guests to the emirate since the beginning of 2016. Abu Dhabi has recorded an increase of 3.94 per cent in hotel guests in 2018 compared to 2017 at the emirate’s 168 hotels or hotel apartments. In the last three years, Abu Dhabi has posted record numbers of hotel guests every year, regularly exceeding DCT Abu Dhabi’s annual targets.
The key markets of India, the US and China have all posted double-digit growth for hotel guests in 2018. India and China remain the two top markets for overseas visitors, with the UK – the top European source market – rounding out the top three markets for overseas visitors.
According to Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman at DCT Abu Dhabi. “We are now firmly established as a world-class cultural destination. With the emirate’s natural beauty as a stepping off point, Abu Dhabi has steadily enhanced its touristic and cultural proposition until today, visitors can now enjoy incredible options in entertainment – both sporting and artistic – retail, dining and hospitality, as well as top class cultural venues for visual and performing arts experiences.
“The soaring visitor figures we have seen are evidence of the increase in global appeal of our emirate,” he added.
