The number of hotel guests staying in Abu Dhabi in June rose by 6 per cent compared to the same month last year, driven largely by growing number of visitors from Saudi Arabia and the US, a media report said.

Completing a record-breaking first half of the year, June’s results reveal the emirate's plans to exceed 2017’s numbers of guest arrivals, when close to five million people stayed in the emirate, are on track, reported Emirates news agency Wam, citing the latest figures released by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).

In total 339,592 visitors stayed in Abu Dhabi’s 162 hotels and hotel apartments during June, an increase of more than 19,000 over the previous year. For the first six months of 2018, the figures show Abu Dhabi upping the total number of hotel guests to the emirate by 5 per cent on the year, with 2,413,230 guests in total arriving.

Saif Saeed Ghobash, under-secretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: "These numbers confirm a strong position at the halfway stage of 2018 and that the department’s strategies and hard work are steadily paying off. June’s figures are for certain a reflection of visitors inspired by all Abu Dhabi offered during the Holy Month of Ramadan, but we are also confident other attractions played a part, including the ongoing Abu Dhabi Summer Season, which began on June 21st.

"For the year-to-date position, we are showing just over 5 per cent growth, indicating that we are on track to achieve our targets of consecutive record-breaking years. We will continue to focus hard on our key markets for the second half of the year, with milestone events, such as the Etihad Airways Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Art, and new world-class attractions opening, in the shape of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, we are confident we will finish the year as robustly as we began it."

Visitors from Saudi Arabia and the USA provided the main drivers for June’s strong showing, with the Holy Month of Ramadan a factor in the almost 57 per cent increase in arrivals from Saudi Arabia. The United States also posted double-digit growth for the month, with approximately 27 per cent more guests arriving in June compared to last year.

Visitor numbers were robust for other key markets as well, with India taking top spot for June with more than 29,900 guests arriving, that being a 3.7 per cent lift on the year. This contributed to an increase of 19 per cent year-to-date for that particular country.

Sultan Al Dhaheri, executive director of the Tourism Sector for DCT Abu Dhabi, said: "We are delighted to see hotel guest numbers and occupancy rates in positive territory for all three of Abu Dhabi’s distinct regions. As pleasing as it is to see visitors from both Saudi Arabia and the US arriving in such numbers, we will continue to strongly focus on all of our key markets for the second half of the year, promoting our latest tourism and cultural assets alongside the diverse range of offerings we already showcase."

The UK also posted a 14.5 per cent increase for the month, a 12.9 per cent increase for the first six months of 2018.

All three regions of the emirate recorded year-on-year increase in hotel guests for June, with Abu Dhabi up 5.6 per cent, Al Ain Region up 7.6 per cent, and Al Dhafra Region up 15.3 per cent and occupancy rates were also up in all three regions (6.4 per cent, 8.5 per cent and 22.2 per cent respectively).