Hoteliers in Abu Dhabi say there are signs of a recovery in the travel sector, as the number of visitors to the emirate last year beat targets.
More than 1.8 million visitors stayed in Abu Dhabi's 114 hotels and hotel apartments last year, up 18 per cent from 2009, according to new figures released by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).
Guests also stayed longer in hotels, at an average of 2.83 nights each. The ADTA said the region beat its hotel guest target by 8 per cent.
"Demand is coming back," said Konstanze Auernheimer, the director of marketing and analysis at the hotel research company STR Global. "More people are staying in hotels again."
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Officials at the ADTA credited the region's expansion of tourist attractions as a driver for the growth in visitors. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and new golf courses brought in many tourists, as did international events such as World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi and the Formula One Grand Prix.
"The Government is pretty committed to provide incentives to travel to that destination," said Ms Auernheimer.
Lower hotel rates also boosted visitor numbers. In the first half of last year, average rates in Abu Dhabi fell by 26 per cent, in sharp contrast to the 38 per cent increase a year earlier, according to a survey conducted last year by the corporate travel services company Hogg Robinson Group.
During the first half of 2009, Abu Dhabi was the only city among the top 10 most expensive to live in that recorded a rise in average daily rate, although due to new hotel openings, overall occupancy rates were down.
"Like Dubai, Abu Dhabi has faced a substantial fall in occupancy combined with ongoing new hotel developments, set to continue for some time to come," the report from Hogg Robinson Group warned.
Officials from the ADTA have acknowledged that more competitive pricing last year did lure additional visitors. But occupancies in Abu Dhabi fell 10 per cent, which left revenues flat at Dh4.2 billion (US$1.14bn) compared with 2009.
"The main problem is you have so many hotel rooms that need to be filled," said Ms Auernheimer. "That's hindering the recovery.
"I think for the long term, it's looking pretty good that the supply will hopefully be absorbed. But there's a lot of supply coming so the short term might not be as pretty."
The ADTA has an ambitious goal to attract 1.9 million guests this year, which would contribute slightly more than 11 per cent to the emirate's overall non-oil GDP.
The emirate has already seen a boost in domestic tourism. Residents in the UAE accounted for more than 40 per cent of the hotel rooms filled last year, up 16 per cent from 2009.
Visitors from neighbouring GCC countries increased more sharply, with the number of guests from Saudi Arabia growing by 26 per cent, Oman 35 per cent, and Kuwait 28 per cent.
Yet international visitors remain Abu Dhabi's biggest tourism growth area, according to the ADTA. The number of tourists from the UK increased 22 per cent, the US 16 per cent, and France 6 per cent. And more than 14,500 visitors from China came to Abu Dhabi, up 29 per cent from 2009.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free
Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5