Dubai’s hotels and hotel apartments hosted 5.027 million guests in the first half of the year, marking an increase of 10 per cent over the corresponding period in 2011, said a senior official.

The revenues for the first six months of the year jumped 22 per cent to reach Dh9.8 billion ($2.66 billion), while guestnights of Dubai hotel facilities amounted to 19.2 million nights, an increase of 18 per cent against the first half of 2011.

Khalid Bin Sulayem, director general, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai (DTCM) made the announcement at the sideline of the annual Natalie Tours Congress, the 8th in a row, which kicked off today (October 1) at the Atlantis Palm hotel in Dubai, with focus on the significance of the Russian market to Dubai, and the best ways to boost up tourist relationships.

The five-day conference, being run by Natalie Tours, the biggest tourist company in the Russian market, in collaboration with the Alpha Tours, is to see the participation of 250 tourist companies from across Russia.

Bin Sulayem said the event is a good chance to update guests’ information about Dubai tourist attractions and mega projects, and best promote the emirate in the Russian market.

Present at the function, being hosted by the Atlantis Palm hotel, for the 4th consecutive year, were Natasha Vorobieva, CEO and GM - Natalie Tours, Ghassan Al Aridi, CEO – Alpha Tours, Brett Armitage, senior vice president, Sales, Atlantis, as well as a number of DTCM senior officials and events managers from both companies.

Bin Sulayem indicated that DTCM has always been very keen on participating in all tourist fairs and exhibitions in Russia. “These span the Moscow Autumn Travel Industry Week or ‘Leisure 2012’, in which we won three awards,” he said.

Al Aridi said the event this year is quite different. “This congress, we have the pleasure to host the best of the best tourist companies promoting Dubai in the Russian market.”

Noting that Russia is one of the most important five markets to Dubai in terms inbound tourists and sales, Al Aridi said the Russian tourist is atop the list of the most spending tourists worldwide.

“Alpha Tours has managed to attract around 120,000 Russian tourists in the first nine months of 2012 as compared to over 75,000 in 2011,” he said.

Al Aridi added that Alpha Tours and Natalie Tours are in a 12-years partnership now with several rep offices covering all Russian regions as well Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

“We are also in a fruitful partnership with FlyDubai with some 20 flights on weekly basis all the year round to a number of destinations, such as Samara and Kazan, Kharkov, Kiev and others.”

Vorobieva said they were celebrating the 20th anniversary of his company this year. “The company, since its inception in 1992, has founded many branches in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.”

“Natalie Tours, expecting sales up to $1billion this year, attracts some 150,000 Russian tourists to the UAE on an annual basis - 65 per cent to Dubai and 35 per cent to the other six emirates.”

Vorobiev said while Russian tourists to the UAE stay at 3-, 4-, and 5-star hotels, more than 50 per cent of these stay at 5-star hotel. “Natalie Tours is to attract some additional 40 per cent tourists to Dubai from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan in 2013.”

Vorobiev added that Natalie Tours is dealing with about 5,000 companies in Russia, spanning 3,000 in Ukraine and 1,000 in Kazakhstan.

“Natalie Tours is to hold, for the first time, a special conference on Dubai-Ukraine Tourism. We are planning workshops to develop awareness of Ukraine Tour Operators agents about Dubai tourist attractions and relevant regulations of residency and foreigners affairs to give a boost to promotion endeavours.”

Expecting 7 per cent rise in the number of his guests, Armitage said the Russian tourists represent 15 per cent of the total hotel guests therein. “The average hotel occupancy hit 87 per cent in 2011.”

Bin Sulayem, unveiling the key performance indicators of the emirate’s flourishing hotel industry, said Dubai hotel played host, during H1 2012, to 3.98 million guests, an increase of 10 per cent over the corresponding period in 2011 which saw 3.62 million guests.

A nine per cent increase was reported in the guest numbers of Dubai hotel apartments, amounting to 1.044 million in H1 of 2012 against 958,059 over the corresponding six months in 2011.

Dubai hotels revenues recorded Dh8.39 billion from January to June 2012 against Dh6.91 billion over the same period in 2011, a rise of 21 per cent.  However, Dubai hotel apartments scooped Dh1.40 billion in H1 2012 as compared to Dh1.13 billion in H1 2011, an increase of 23 per cent.

Revenues of both Dubai hotels and hotel apartments in the first six months of the year amounted to Dh9.79 billion in comparison to Dh8.05 billion, over the same period in 2011, a rise of 22 per cent.

Similarly, Dubai hotels guestnights swelled by 16 per cent to touch 13.35 million in H1 2012 as compared to 11.53 million in H1 2011. Likewise, the guestnights recorded in Dubai hotel apartments rose by 24 per cent to hit 5.85 million in H1 2012 against 4.73 million guestnights in H1 2011.

Guestnights of both Dubai hotels and hotel apartments amounted to 19.2 million in H1 this year against 16.27 million in H1 2011, an increase of 18 per cent.

A 5 per cent hike was registered in the average length of stay in Dubai hotels hitting 3.4 nights in H1 2011 against 3.2 in H1 2012 whereas the average length of stay in Dubai hotel apartments recorded 5.6 nights in H1 2011 against 4.9 in H1 2012, a boost of 13 per cent.

The average length of stay in Dubai hotels and hotel apartments swelled by eight per cent to touch 3.8 nights in H1 2012 as compared to 3.5 nights in H1 2011.

Similarly, the number of Dubai hotel rooms increased from 54,221 in H1 2012 against 52,897 in H1 2011, a boost of 3 per cent. Also, the number of hotel flats swelled by 7 per cent to reach 21,787 in H1 2012 as compared to 20,360 in H1 2011.

Witnessing a 4 per cent hike, the number of Dubai hotel rooms and flats rose from 76,008 in H1 2012 against 73,245 in H1 2011.

The average hotel room occupancy rate in Dubai stood at 82 per cent in H1 2012 against 76 per cent in H1 2011, an increase of 6 per cent while it was 79 per cent occupancy for the apartment flat in H1 this year as compared to 76 per cent, a 3 per cent increase.

However, the average hotel room rate witnessed a 5 per cent increase to reach Dh601 in H1 2012 against Dh570 in H1 2011 whereas the average hotel apartment rate amounted to Dh417 in the first half of the 2012 as compared to Dh374 in H1 2011, an increase of 11 per cent. – TradeArabia News Service