UAE hotel occupancy, RevPar rise in March

Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island Hotel Hotel occupancy rate in the UAE increased 1.1 per cent to 84 per cent in March 2014 as against same month last year while revenues per average room (RevPar) also rose 0.9 per cent to Dh732.67. According to STR Global's statistics released on Friday, average daily rates dipped 0.2 per cent to Dh871.91 last month.
Dubai along with Doha and Muscat had highest occupancy rate of more than 80 per cent in the Middle East and Africa.
Elizabeth Winkle, managing director of STR Global, said: "The Middle East is once again driving the positive growth in the region. Northern Africa is reporting decreases, while Southern Africa's performance remains flat. Market performance across the region is very mixed. Doha, Dubai and Muscat have achieved occupancy levels over 80 per cent, but other markets, including Beirut, Cairo, Riyadh and Sandton, posted occupancies of 38.9 per cent, 37.6 per cent, 71.8 per cent, and 67.9 per cent, respectively”.
STR Global, which provides global hotel data, statistics showed that hotel occupancy in Egypt witnessed massive drop of 18.8 per cent to 43.7 per cent due to uncertain political situation in the country. It resulted in RevPar also dropping 20 per cent to 198 Egyptian pounds.
The region overall reported a 0.7-per cent decrease in occupancy to 66.9 per cent, a 2.1-per cent increase in average daily rate to US$178.18 and a 1.4-per cent increase in revenue per available room to US$119.19.
Winkle said: "Cape Town, host of the 2010 World Cup, is showing favourable performance for March. Since October 2011, the market has reported ADR (average daily revenue) growth every month, edging closer to the ADR levels achieved during the World Cup. With March posting occupancy of 79.4 per cent, the market is closing the gap to its pre-global financial crisis occupancy peak of 82.4 per cent achieved in March 2008. The limited supply growth of 1 per cent since 2010 is aiding the recovery”.
Nairobi, Kenya, jumped 60.5 per cent in occupancy to 60.5 per cent, reporting the largest increase in that metric. Manama, Bahrain, followed with a 32.2-per cent increase to 60.7 per cent.
Beirut, Lebanon, posted the largest occupancy decrease, falling 25.1 percent to 38.9 per cent. The market also reported the largest RevPAR decrease, falling 29.8 per cent to US$54.45.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, rose 8.5 per cent in ADR to US$247.56, reporting the largest increase in that metric.
Doha, Qatar, fell 10.4 per cent in ADR to US$187.18 posting the only double-digit decrease in that metric.
During the first quarter, the Middle East/Africa region's occupancy increased 1.2 percent to 65.5 per cent; its ADR was up 2.9 per cent to US$179.74; and its RevPAR rose 4.2 per cent to US$117.72.
Source: Emirates 24/7