Latest news with #StatisticsCentreAbuDhabi
Zawya
13-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Abu Dhabi hospitality sector posts robust growth; revenue hits $166mln
Abu Dhabi's hospitality sector continues to show robust growth, with hotel establishments across the emirate generating revenues of AED611 million ($166.34 million) in March 2025, according to preliminary data released by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), in coordination with the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD). The total revenue breakdown comprises AED345 million from room bookings, AED228 million from food and beverage services, and AED38 million from other sources. The emirate welcomed approximately 417,000 hotel guests during March, highlighting Abu Dhabi's growing appeal as a global tourist destination. The surge is attributed to the emirate's diverse accommodation offerings and high-quality hospitality services. A total of 171 hotel establishments, comprising 34,341 rooms, operated across Abu Dhabi in March. These properties recorded over 1.2 million guest nights, achieving an average occupancy rate of 69%. The average revenue per available room (RevPAR) stood at AED486. Non-Arab Asian nationals topped the list of international visitors, accounting for 152,000 hotel guests. European travellers followed with 123,000 guests, while UAE nationals accounted for 58,000 stays. These figures underline Abu Dhabi's sustained tourism growth and its strengthening position as a preferred destination for a wide range of global markets. According to DCT Abu Dhabi, five-star hotels hosted the highest number of guests, totalling 205,000 in March. European visitors made up the largest segment within this category, with 78,000 guests. Four-star hotels received 119,000 guests, followed by three-star and below hotels with 54,000 guests. Additionally, serviced apartments accommodated 38,000 visitors. The strong performance aligns with Abu Dhabi's Tourism Strategy 2030, which aims to attract 39.3 million visitors annually, generate 178,000 new jobs in the tourism sector, expand hotel capacity to 50,000 rooms, and increase the sector's contribution to the emirate's GDP to AED90 billion by the end of the decade.
Khaleej Times
27-02-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Abu Dhabi ‘trying to reduce blue-collar population' as it focuses on knowledge-based economy
Abu Dhabi is focusing on knowledge-based sectors that employ white-collar professionals, and trying to reduce the blue-collar workforce, a senior official said on Wednesday. 'We're trying to reduce the blue-collar population, [although] we're thankful for them ... We're looking for companies that have technologies that Abu Dhabi can really make use of; for example, the vertical-farming technologies." "For example, a lot of vertical-farming technology companies have been given incentives that are making the emirate a springboard for regional expansion. This gives Abu Dhabi more traction to attract other investors within that sector,' said Mohamed Al Shorafa, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport. Abu Dhabi's population has grown exponentially in the past four years, making the emirate the most populated city in the UAE. The city aims to double its population by 2040. The Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) reported in June 2024 that the population of the capital reached 3.789 million, an increase of 83 per cent compared to 2011. The employed workforce is divided into 46 per cent white-collar workers, a category that has seen a 109 per cent surge since 2011, and 54 per cent blue-collar workers, a group that has experienced 65 per cent growth compared to 2011. 'Based on the Falcon Economy Strategy, we are anticipating to double the population by 2040.' The UAE federal government is also pushing towards attracting and establishing knowledge and innovation-based firms which will require more white-collar professionals to drive the economy to the next stage of growth. 20% autonomous taxis by 2030 He noted that Abu Dhabi is investing a lot into AI, and attracting companies that are investing in artificial intelligence in different sectors. 'Most of our decision-making is driven through data and AI. We have a lot of sensors, and intelligent traffic systems that can give us data that helps anticipate where the congestion might happen,' he said during the Investopia 2025 conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Abu Dhabi was the first in the region to launch autonomous taxi in 2021. 'By 2030, we are targeting 20 per cent of our public taxis to be autonomous. We're working a lot with international companies that have already invested in our autonomous sandboxes and our pilot projects. We've invested in the electrification of our bus network as well, and more will come. We're in discussion with private players to come and develop their own mobility systems and platforms so that all systems can talk to each other and make it easier for people.' Al Shorafa also noted that the most important investment that the government is making is in the development of transportation infrastructure. 'We've earmarked over Dh65 billion for transportation projects including tunnels, new roads and expansions of existing networks,' he said.
