The Saudi Arabian city of Makkah was the only major hotel market in the Middle East to experience an increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) during the first two weeks of Ramadan.

According to an analysis by STR, the market experienced a 1.3 per cent increase in occupancy and an 8.5 per cent increase in average daily rate, leading to a RevPAR increase of 9.9 per cent.

Muscat, Oman, experienced the steepest RevPAR decline during the two-week period, falling 23.4 per cent. The decrease was caused equally by an 11.4 per cent decrease in occupancy and a 13.8 per cent drop in ADR.

Dubai recorded a 2.9 per cent increase in occupancy over the two-week period, but ADR was down 9.0 per cent, resulting in a 6.4 per cent decrease in RevPAR. STR analysts note that even with consistent supply growth, Dubai’s ADR remains among the highest for major global markets.

STR compared preliminary daily data for six hotel markets in the Middle East from June 6 to 20, 2016 with the June 18 through July 2 Ramadan time period last year. - TradeArabia News Service