Austerity in the UK is taking its toll as fewer British holidaymakers ventured to Dubai in the first quarter of the year.
The number of guests checking into Dubai's hotels from the UK between January and March fell 2 per cent to 184,203 from 187,948 visitors in the same period last year, according to figures from the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.
But overall, the Dubai market enjoyed a 14 per cent increase in the number of hotel guests. The drop in UK numbers, while small, is significant because more tourists from that country than anywhere else visit Dubai.
"The UK economy is down," said Syed Zulfiqar Mehdi, the director of sales and marketing at the Samaya Hotel in Dubai.
"That is a major cause of the problem. The price might have been a little bit higher compared to last year because in this first quarter every hotel has done very well. People in the UK have a very different budget to travel."
British consumers have seen their spending power decrease amid an economic environment of austerity, including an increase in value-added tax introduced at the beginning of the year.
Mr Mehdi said the unrest in some parts of the Middle East may also have deterred some prospective tourists from the UK from holidaying in Dubai.
"A lot of people who don't have enough exposure to the Middle East mix everything together, even though Dubai is an unaffected area."
The emirate managed to more than compensate for the drop in UK visitors, however, as more guests came from China and the GCC.
Hoteliers reported soaring occupancy levels as many GCC travellers were diverted to Dubai after abandoning plans to holiday in places such as Egypt that were affected by unrest.
A total of 2.38 million guests stayed in Dubai's hotels in the first quarter, up from 2.09 million during thesame period last year, according to the tourism department.
Hotel revenues grew more than 16 per cent during the period to Dh4.36 billion (US$1.18bn), up from Dh3.75bn.
There was an 18 per cent increase in the number of hotel guests from China to 54,802 in the first quarter from 46,401 the year before.
"Definitely the increase otherwise is because Dubai has benefited from everything that is happening around the region," said Harjinder Singh, a hotel consultant at CB Richard Ellis.
A survey by Sunshine.co.uk, a travel agency based in the UK, found Dubai was perceived as the fifth least safe destination by respondents concerned about arrests over alcohol or drug offences.
The tourism department and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have both issued guidelines warning about regulations on alcohol, swearing, and public displays of affection to British tourists visiting Dubai after a series of highly publicised incidents.
rbundhun@thenational.ae
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Brahmastra%3A%20Part%20One%20-%20Shiva
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Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Racecard
6.35pm: The Madjani Stakes – Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.10pm: Evidenza – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: The Longines Conquest – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,000m
8.20: The Longines Elegant – Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
8.35pm: The Dubai Creek Mile – Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Mirdif Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,400m
10.05pm: The Longines Record – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,900m
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
Jawab Iteiqal
Director: Mohamed Sammy
Starring: Mohamed Ramadan, Ayad Nasaar, Mohamed Adel and Sabry Fawaz
2 stars
