ME hotels see occupancy rates drop in January

ME hotels see occupancy rates drop in January

The biggest drop in occupancy was witnessed by Abu Dhabi, where the rate fell by 27.1 percent to reach 56.5 percent.

February 24, 2010 5:39 by kippreport

Hotels in the Middle East and Africa region performed poorly during January this year, with occupancy falling 2.3 percent to reach 54.8 percent, according to hospitality firm, STR Global. Average daily rate (ADR) in the region also decreased 1.9 percent to reach $170.20, and revenue per available room (RevPar) decreased 4.1 percent to $93.23, the firm said.

The biggest drop in occupancy was witnessed by Abu Dhabi, where the rate fell by 27.1 percent to reach 56.5 percent. The UAE capital also reported an 18.3 percent decrease in ADR and a 40.5 percent fall in RevPar.

“Overall, the Middle East/Africa region continues to be one of two regions that still reports declines in RevPAR”, Elizabeth Randall, managing director of STR Global said in a release. “It is good to see the decline is getting smaller, from -7 percent in December to -4 percent for January compared to the prior year. Therefore, we still expect the region to follow on the recovery path that we set up last month,” she said.