An increase in flights from Saudi Arabia will boost passenger traffic to Abu Dhabi next year, as the kingdom becomes increasingly important as a source market for tourism to the emirate.
About 1.86 million passengers passed through Abu Dhabi International Airport last month, a 4.4 per cent increase over the same period last year, the hub’s operator said yesterday.
The eighth edition of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place at the end of last month, boosting visitor numbers.
During the first 11 months, 22 million travellers passed through Abu Dhabi International, an increase of 5.3 per cent over last year.
The airport’s Terminal 3, which is dedicated to Etihad Airways, recorded a 38.6 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger traffic – to 1.31 million – during November.
Traffic from Saudi Arabia at Abu Dhabi’s airport rose sharply last month compared with last year, with an increase of 43.5 per cent. The number of visitors from the kingdom is forecast to rise after Saudi budget airline Flynas started direct flights between Dammam and Abu Dhabi International yesterday. It will operate four weekly flights.
“We will definitely see more tourists from Saudi Arabia with cheaper flights and better connectivity between Abu Dhabi and different Saudi cities,” said Mathieu van Alphen, the general manager at Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi. “For us the Saudi market is big but we could do more.”
Saudi Arabia was the seventh-largest market for Abu Dhabi during the first 10 months of the year, with 125,470 tourists visiting the emirate, a 3 per cent year-on-year increase, according to the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi).
Saudi guests stayed on average for 2.34 nights. Hotel operators in the capital city expect to end the year on a high note given an increase in tourist numbers during the first 10 months of the year compared with the same period last year.
The occupancy rate is expected to remain at about 90 per cent at Beach Rotana through to the first week of January. “Prices have come down but we remain competitive due to the market mix,” Mr van Alphen said.
The number of guests in Abu Dhabi rose by 8 per cent to October compared with last year, as 3.64 million checked into the city’s hotels and hotel apartments, according to TCA Abu Dhabi.
The average hotel occupancy decreased by 3 per cent year-on-year to 72 per cent even as the average room rate got cheaper by 11 per cent to Dh374 during the first 10 months.
“We expect some uplift in the room rates and occupancies towards the end of 2017,” Mr van Alphen said.
Meanwhile, the volume of cargo handled at Abu Dhabi International during November grew slower than the number of passengers. The airport handled 71,193 metric tonnes of cargo last month, a growth of 1.3 per cent compared with the same period last year. Measured during the first 11 months, volume fell by 3.5 per cent to 733,742 metric tonnes, because of slow global trade growth.
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