Tourist arrivals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai grew 3.6 per cent during the first quarter (Q1) of the year as compared with Q1 2017, with hotel and room occupancy in both emirates rising 1.2 per cent and 5.7 per cent respectively, a media report said.

Hotel room returns rose 3.9 per cent in Abu Dhabi and 4.8 per cent in Dubai during the monitored period, reported Emirates News Agency Wam, citing figures released by the CBUAE Quarterly Review.

According to the figures, the number of tourists arriving in Dubai and Abu Dhabi during Q1 is up 1.8 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. Overall, the number of UAE-bound tourists grew 6.5 per cent in 2017 over 2016.

The tourism sector has been steadily growing over recent years on the back of booming conference and business tourism and a sophisticated world-standard infrastructure that have promoted the country's prestigious position across the international scene and turned the country to a major world tourist destination.

According the official figures, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the largest emirates contributing to the significant growth of the tourism sector, with Chinese tourists coming first in terms of number, increasing 17.9 per cent during Q1 as compared to the corresponding period 2017.

Indian tourists come second and rose by 9.6 per cent over the same period, with tourists coming from UK doubling on the back the sustainable sterling appreciation, while Filipino and Pakistani tourists declined in number.

The number of Russian tourists soared as well during the same period due to an AED-RUB exchange rate, according to CBUAE figures.