COVID-19 webinar summary: 5 key points on Middle East and Africa hotel performance, 9 July

Did you miss one of our webinars? Don’t have time to watch the full recording? No problem. We are pleased to present the key points in this latest COVID-19 webinar summary. In this edition, we talk performance in the Middle East and Africa.

Middle East demand stagnated even before summer began

For the week ending 28 June, over 834,000 rooms were occupied across the Middle East, an average of 119,000 rooms a day. On 23 February, before COVID-19 pandemic, 300,000 rooms a day were occupied in the region.

A mixed bag across Emirates

Abu Dhabi posted the highest occupancy in June thanks in part to the UFC event in the market. Ajman posted a 38% occupancy level during June due to residents seeking alternative accommodation over the weekend.

High and consistent extended-stay occupancy in Abu Dhabi

From 22 February through 5 July, Abu Dhabi has seen high and consistent extended-stay occupancy of close to 90% due to a combination of government, corporate and medical business. However, some of the key markets have seen a slight occupancy decline in the segment.

Dubai: double-digit demand on the books

As of 6 July, Dubai showed forward occupancy around 10% until at least October. However, Dubai, like many markets across the Middle East, is a last-minute booking market.

Abu Dhabi: a strong business-on-the-books July

Abu Dhabi still has time to increase July pickups, but if it doesn’t, the market already shows a 36.5% demand for the month of (as of 6 July) thanks to the UFC event in the market.

For further insights into COVID-19’s impact on global hotel performance, visit our content hub.