Dubai: Hotels in Dubai performed nearly the same during Ramadan this year compared to the same month a year ago, according to a statement from research firm STR Global on Wednesday.
During Ramadan, which was from June 28 to July 28, Dubai hotel occupancy stood at 41.2 per cent compared to 42.7 per cent last year, when the month started from July 8 to August 7.
In Ramadan this year, average daily rate (ADR) reached Dh576 from Dh572 in 2013, and revenue per available room (RevPAR- a performance benchmark) touched Dh237, from Dh244.
“We see very little difference from 2013 to 2014. In both years, Ramadan occurred in the height of summer months which is traditionally a slower period for the country’s hotels. ADR levels managed to grow by Dh4 and despite the 7.8-per cent supply growth in 2014, hotels were able to maintain the same levels of occupancy,” stated Elizabeth Winkle, managing director of STR Global.
July is typically the weakest month of the year, and Ramadan’s timing had an impact on performance for the month. After Ramadan, the emirate saw “an initial uptick”, Winkle said.
“We expect, as forecasted in conjunction with Tourism Economics, that Dubai hotels will end the year with a 2.2-per cent increase in RevPAR,” she said.
