Qatar Airways' one-night free stay for transit passengers wishing stopover gave tremendous boost to Qatar's hospitality sector in April this year, according to Ernst and Young (EY), a global consultant.
Doha’s hospitality market witnessed an increase in average occupancy from 65.6% in April 2016 to 74% in April 2017, even as the city hotels’ ADR (average daily rate) dropped 7.3% year-on-year in April 2017, EY said.
"The increase in Doha’s hospitality market could be a result of Qatar Airways’ new offer for transit travellers who are eligible for a free one-night hotel stay if they choose to layover," it said.
Qatar Airways, in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), had launched a stopover package offering transit passengers the opportunity to discover Doha with free luxury hotel stays and complimentary transit visas.
The offer with QTA has been launched by Qatar Airways’ newly created destination management company, Discover Qatar, and is “one of many new initiatives that will be launched over the coming months to generate awareness of, and visits to, Qatar”.
It is designed to kick off the newly launched campaign, +Qatar, from QTA and is aimed at supporting the growing demand for tourism in Qatar.
Dubai experienced an increase across all key performance indicators, including the highest RevPAR (revenue per available room) of $273, an increase of 18.7% year-on-year. It also saw the highest occupancy in April at 88% and the highest average room rate of $310.
Several events such as the Arabian Travel Market and the Arabian Hotel Investment conference attracted visitors from across the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region to probably boost the city’s hotel performance, EY said.
Nevertheless, Abu Dhabi’s hospitality market saw a drop in RevPAR by 4.8% in April 2017, which can be attributed to the drop in ADR from $133 in April 2016 to $120 in April 2017. However, occupancy increased by 4.5% in April 2017 against the same month last year.
In Muscat, the hospitality market witnessed an increase in average occupancy of 7.7% year-on-year to 80.5%. This may be a result of the spring break and Easter holidays where expats from neighbouring countries considered the city to be an ideal short getaway. Muscat hotels' RevPAR was $136.
In Saudi Arabia, Riyadh’s hospitality market continues to witness an overall drop in performance month-on-month. RevPAR dropped from $130 in April 2016 to $106 in April 2017. This can be attributed to the drop in ADR by 10.9% in April 2017, coupled by a decrease in average occupancy of 5.8% compared to the same time last year.
However, Makkah saw an increase in RevPAR, reaching $107, a 24.3% increase from last year, possibly due to an increase in religious tourism ahead of Ramadan.
Bahrain's capital Manama registered 66.8% and RevPAR of $169 and Kuwait reported 62.5% and $158 respectively in April this year.
"The increase in Doha’s hospitality market could be a result of Qatar Airways’ new offer for transit travellers who are eligible for a free one-night hotel stay if they choose to layover," it said.
Qatar Airways, in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), had launched a stopover package offering transit passengers the opportunity to discover Doha with free luxury hotel stays and complimentary transit visas.
The offer with QTA has been launched by Qatar Airways’ newly created destination management company, Discover Qatar, and is “one of many new initiatives that will be launched over the coming months to generate awareness of, and visits to, Qatar”.
It is designed to kick off the newly launched campaign, +Qatar, from QTA and is aimed at supporting the growing demand for tourism in Qatar.
Dubai experienced an increase across all key performance indicators, including the highest RevPAR (revenue per available room) of $273, an increase of 18.7% year-on-year. It also saw the highest occupancy in April at 88% and the highest average room rate of $310.
Several events such as the Arabian Travel Market and the Arabian Hotel Investment conference attracted visitors from across the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region to probably boost the city’s hotel performance, EY said.
Nevertheless, Abu Dhabi’s hospitality market saw a drop in RevPAR by 4.8% in April 2017, which can be attributed to the drop in ADR from $133 in April 2016 to $120 in April 2017. However, occupancy increased by 4.5% in April 2017 against the same month last year.
In Muscat, the hospitality market witnessed an increase in average occupancy of 7.7% year-on-year to 80.5%. This may be a result of the spring break and Easter holidays where expats from neighbouring countries considered the city to be an ideal short getaway. Muscat hotels' RevPAR was $136.
In Saudi Arabia, Riyadh’s hospitality market continues to witness an overall drop in performance month-on-month. RevPAR dropped from $130 in April 2016 to $106 in April 2017. This can be attributed to the drop in ADR by 10.9% in April 2017, coupled by a decrease in average occupancy of 5.8% compared to the same time last year.
However, Makkah saw an increase in RevPAR, reaching $107, a 24.3% increase from last year, possibly due to an increase in religious tourism ahead of Ramadan.
Bahrain's capital Manama registered 66.8% and RevPAR of $169 and Kuwait reported 62.5% and $158 respectively in April this year.
