Abu Dhabi’s hospitality sector recorded revenues of Dhs611m ($166.3m) in March 2025, underlining strong momentum in the emirate’s tourism industry, 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 revenue comprised Dhs345m from room bookings, Dhs228m from food and beverage services, and Dhs38m from other sources.
Roughly 417,000 hotel guests stayed in the emirate during March, reflecting Abu Dhabi’s growing appeal as a global travel destination. Officials attribute the increase to the emirate’s diverse accommodation portfolio and high-quality hospitality standards.
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Abu Dhabi hosted visitors at 171 hotels
Abu Dhabi hosted visitors across 171 hotel establishments with a combined 34,341 rooms. The properties registered more than 1.2 million guest nights and achieved an average occupancy rate of 69 per cent. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) reached Dhs486.
Non-Arab Asian nationals were the largest group of international visitors, totalling 152,000 guests. Europeans followed with 123,000 guests, while UAE nationals accounted for 58,000 hotel stays.
Five-star hotels received the largest share of guests, accommodating 205,000 visitors in March.
Of these, European travellers made up the largest segment, with 78,000 guests. Four-star hotels welcomed 119,000 guests, followed by 54,000 in three-star and below hotels. Serviced apartments recorded 38,000 guests.
The strong performance supports Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Strategy 2030, which targets 39.3m annual visitors, the creation of 178,000 tourism jobs, expansion of hotel capacity to 50,000 rooms, and an increase in the sector’s contribution to GDP to Dhs90bn by the end of the decade.
