The number of tourists visiting the UAE in 2009 is predicted to be about three percent lower than in the previous year, a new report has said.
The drop in visitors to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, compared to a 10 percent growth in 2008 over 2007, was attributed to the continuing economic problems being seen in the US and Europe, key markets for the UAE, Business Monitor said.
In its UAE Tourism Report Q3 published this month, the research house said: "Our forecast of negative growth in tourist arrivals in 2009 remains -3 percent year-on-year."
But the report also predicted a "slight recovery in growth" in 2010.
"The poor outlook for the tourism sector in the short term is based on the impact of further downward revisions this quarter to BMI's forecasts for the UK and key European economies which together accounted for 40 percent of all arrivals in the UAE in 2007," the report added.
"Taking into account a much weaker growth in tourist arrivals to Dubai in Q109 and a slowdown in growth of arrivals to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi last year, BMI continues to maintain that the UAE will face a challenging period ahead in the tourism sector."
BMI also estimated that the growth in visitors in 2008, compared to 2007, was about 10 percent at around 9.7m arrivals.
Earlier this month, a report by PKF The Consulting House said Dubai hotels were likely to see an increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) from the fourth quarter.
Average daily rates (ADR) and RevPAR - two benchmarks for the hotel industry - were both expected to rise during December and would continue to increase, added the report.
"Hotels in Dubai can look forward with optimism to increasing occupancies and ADR through Q4 2009 and a positive outlook for 2010 and beyond," it said.
Dubai's hotel room inventory is expected to reach 54,000 in 2010, a massive 40 percent increase on figures for 2008.
Sami Al Ansari said the huge increase in the number of rooms available presented the next challenge for the hotels sector, which had struggling this year amid the global economic slowdown.
