The Royal Rose Hotel, Abu Dhabi. Its exterior hints to a 17th century French palace. Its interior is equally opulent, with walls overlaid in intricate gold-leaf designs. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National
The Royal Rose Hotel, Abu Dhabi. Its exterior hints to a 17th century French palace. Its interior is equally opulent, with walls overlaid in intricate gold-leaf designs. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The NatioShow more

Abu Dhabi on course to achieve annual tourism target



Abu Dhabi is set to achieve its annual tourism target as hotels and hotel apartments reported strong growth in guest arrivals and revenues during the first nine months.

The 156 hotels and hotel apartments in the emirate recorded a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of guests to 2.49 million during the period, compared to its annual target of 3.1 million, according to Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi).

The emirate added eight hotels since the end of September last year, accounting for more than 2,000 rooms.

Among the new entrants:

• The French hotel operator Accor opened the four-star Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan with 361 rooms in March and the Adagio Abu Dhabi Al Bustan with 279 apartments in July.

• Abu Dhabi’s Bin Ham group opened the five-star Royal Rose Hotel with 355 rooms in March.

• Dubai-based Time Hotels Management opened Zakher Time Residence with 68 one-bedroom and studio apartments in October.

Overall, the emirate had 7,348 rooms in various stages of planning and construction at the end of September, with more than 5,000 of these in the luxury and upper upscale segments, according to the consultancy STR Global. Abu Dhabi had 22,093 rooms at the end of September, more than 10,000 of which are in the same high-end categories.

The guests stayed an average of three nights in the emirate, and occupancy levels rose 7 per cent to 73 per cent.

Competitive room rates compared to Dubai have also helped to sell Abu Dhabi’s hotel rooms.

In September, the average room rate in Abu Dhabi reached $128.96, an increase of 4.2 per cent, compared to $231.36 in Dubai, according to TRI Consulting’s monthly HotStats report. Dubai room rates decreased 3.2 per cent over last September.

During the first three quarters of this year, revenues for Abu Dhabi hotels touched Dh4.268 billion, a 15 per cent growth year-on-year.

Of this, Dh2.17bn, a 16 per cent rise, came from room sales and Dh1.62bn from food and beverage income, which rose 12 per cent.

ssahoo@thenational.ae

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter

Gulf Under 19s

Pools

A – Dubai College, Deira International School, Al Ain Amblers, Warriors
B – Dubai English Speaking College, Repton Royals, Jumeirah College, Gems World Academy
C – British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Yasmina Academy
D – Dubai Exiles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, English College, Bahrain Colts

Recent winners

2018 – Dubai College
2017 – British School Al Khubairat
2016 – Dubai English Speaking School
2015 – Al Ain Amblers
2014 – Dubai College

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

Match info

Manchester United 1
Fred (18')

Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')

Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

How Apple's credit card works

The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.

What does it cost?

Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.

What will the interest rate be?

The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts

What about security? 

The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.

Is it easy to use?

Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision. 

* Associated Press