Abu Dhabi saw hospitality sector revenue increase by 16 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 when compared to last year, according to the latest figures from the Department of Culture & Tourism – Abu Dhabi.

Events such as the AFC Asian Cup, IDEX exhibition, Special Olympics World Games and the Retail Abu Dhabi shopping festival all drove visitor numbers up.

At the same time, the popularity of in-demand new attractions such as Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, the Al Hosn cultural site and Qasr Al Watan Library all provided a significant boost to the emirate’s appeal as a tourism destination for the first three months of the year.

World Travel Awards also recently honoured the Department of Culture & Tourism – Abu Dhabi with the title of Middle East’s Leading Tourist Board, providing a further boost for the year ahead.

The first quarter results reveal total revenues, which increased by 16.1 per cent, were driven by a boost in average room revenue, which increased by almost 15 per cent coupled with an occupancy rate of 79 per cent.

The hotels saw room revenue increased by 24.5 per cent, while food and beverage revenues increased by 10.4 per cent.

In total 1,291,482 visitors were guests of Abu Dhabi’s 169 hotels and hotel apartments during quarter one.

The appeal of the emirate was boosted by recent additions to Abu Dhabi’s hotel portfolio, with a number of major properties including the Abu Dhabi Edition, which is the first Edition brand hotel in the Middle East and North Africa region, alongside the Jumeirah Saadiyat, Saadiyat Rotana and Jumeirah Al Wathba properties which all opened in recent months.

Saif Saeed Ghobash, undersecretary, the Department of Culture & Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “These numbers confirm our strong start to 2019 and that our efforts and strategic planning are proving successful.

“The quarter one figures were without doubt boosted by visitors inspired by all Abu Dhabi offered in the first three months of the year.”