The UAE generated revenue of $32 million in
the fourth quarter and maintained its top rank as the most popular with its
members in 2022, according to the Global Hotel Alliance, the largest
organisation of independent hotel brands in the world, which released the
information on Monday.
The 23 million subscribers to the GHA
Discovery loyalty programme collectively generated $1.4 billion in revenue last
year, up 60% from the same period in 2021, according to a statement from the
UAE-based GHA.
"GHA's 2022 results are phenomenal, not
only for our partner hotel brands but for the entire global travel and tourism
sector," said GHA Chief Executive Chris Hartley. "Significant
improvements across every key performance indicator point to a full industry
recovery and perhaps the end to pre-pandemic comparisons at last."
Its comeback to levels above the 2019
"old normal" not only demonstrates a positive travel sentiment, but
also the genuine strength of GHA Discovery, supported by new hotel brands and
members joining the organisation.
With $31 million in revenue during the most
recent reported quarter, Spain came in second on the list of most popular
travel locations.
According to GHA, the main feeder markets were
the US, the UK, Spain, Germany, and Australia.
China, which recently abolished coronavirus
restrictions, placed sixth, but the alliance predicted that it might "bounce
back to number one in 2023."
According to GHA, the number of international
stays increased in the fourth quarter, outpacing 2019 levels by 40% throughout
the holiday season.
Singapore, the Maldives, Thailand, Mexico, and
the Caribbean took the lead in this rebound.
The forecast for 2023 is very promising as we
build on the accomplishments of 2022. We have ambitious aspirations for driving
this to record heights to the benefit of members and brands alike, Mr Hartley
said, adding that cross-brand revenue is booming and that millions of dollars
worth of incentives is in our consumers' virtual wallets.
In the first eleven months of 2022, Dubai
welcomed 12.82 million overnight guests from abroad, exceeding by more than 85%
of the pre-pandemic levels during the same time in 2019.
According to data from Dubai's Department of
Economy and Tourism, the emirate's performance over the course of the past 11
months was more than twice as strong as the 6.02 million tourists that came to
the city during the same time period in 2021.
With 1.64 million visits over the time period,
growing 106% annually, India was Dubai's leading source market.
Russia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Saudi
Arabia made up the last five markets.
In an effort to entice more people to live,
work, invest, and retire in the UAE, the government last year unveiled a
national tourism strategy that aims to bring 40 million hotel guests by 2031.
By 2031, Dubai hopes to welcome 40 million
hotel guests, increasing the industry's contribution to GDP to Dh450 billion
($122.5 billion).
In an effort to lessen its reliance on crude
oil exports, the second-largest economy in the Arab world saw its non-oil
foreign trade hit a record Dh2.23 trillion last year.
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