Abu Dhabi hotel visitor numbers reach 1.2 million in first six months of 2012

Abu Dhabi's visitor numbers are continuing to rise and in the first six months of 2012, nearly 1.2 million tourists took Abu Dhabi holidays and stayed in hotels and hotel apartments throughout the United Arab Emirate. The figures were released by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and show a nine per cent increase on the same period last year.

New figures released by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority show that nearly 1.2 million international visitors stayed in Abu Dhabi during the first six months of 2012.

The data revealed that a total of 1,189,995 guests took Abu Dhabi holidays at hotels and hotel apartments across the Emirate, a figure that is up nine percent compared to the same period last year.

“This is a very encouraging performance which leaves us well on track to attain our yearly target of 2.3 million guests,” explained Mubarak Al Muhairi, the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority.

“The task ahead is to maintain the momentum but we are relatively confident of doing this as we look forward to a season ahead packed with major events, including the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Art and the planned November opening of Yas Waterworld – which will be the UAE’s largest water park – and will further heighten the entertainment proposition of Yas Island.”

Image by: worldtraveller5, on Flickr

In June this year, an impressive 205, 950 holidaymakers and business travellers stayed in Abu Dhabi hotels, which was a 17 per cent increase on the same month in 2011.

During holidays to Abu Dhabi, tourists can enjoy access to a wide range of attractions in the capital United Arab Emirate such as Khalifa Park, Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the Marina Mall, the Abu Dhabi Mall. The waterfront, sandy beaches, golf courses and lush green parks are perfect for family activities and relaxation.

Image by: IDEE_PER_VIAGGIARE, on Flickr

The emirate has many upscale globally-branded Abu Dhabi hotels where visitors can enjoy luxury holidays in Abu Dhabi including Park Rotana, Kempinski, Rocco Forte, Park Hyatt and Fairmont.

Every day, hundreds of international travellers pass through Abu Dhabi International Airport. The airport has received several awards over the last 12 months including the Airport Carbon Accredited status at the Mapping Level enabling it to be the first carbon accredited airport in the Middle East and North Africa region. Earlier this year, the airport was honoured with a golden award for Fast Travel after the Fast Travel programme was introduced to speed up services for passengers and reduce airline costs.