Saudi tourism reports high occupancy rate for hotels and furnished flats for first half of 2010 in Makkah

A statistical report released recently by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) reveals that the rate of occupancy in hotels in Makkah during the first half of 2010 (from January to June) reached 54.6 percent compared to 52.6 vis-à-vis the same period last year with 2 percent growth, while the occupancy in furnished flats reached 50.2 percent for the first quarter of 2010, compared to 47.5 percent during the same time last year in 2009, with a growth rate of 2.7 percent.

The report of the accommodation sector’s statistic for the first half of 2010, which was released by MAS, also reported an increase in the numbers of hotels’ sold rooms reaching 14,669,364 during the same period in 2010 compared with 13,384,319 rooms vis-à-vis 2009 with growth rate of 9.6 percent.

The number of sold flats in furnished units reached 13,777,109, in 2010, compared with 16,401,926 flats for the same period last year, with a growth rate of 16 percent.

The month of April reported the highest rate of hotel room occupancy with the number of sold rooms reaching 2,662,345 at 59.8 percent, followed by March with an occupancy rate of 59.5 percent, and the total of sold rooms reaching 2,7736,531. The highest rate of occupancy in furnished flats in March reached 52.1 percent with 2,481,960 sold flats.

The report indicated Makkah province lead the other provinces across the kingdom for the number of hotels rooms sold, which reached 8,575,402 with a growth rate of 52.3 percent. Al Madinah city occupied the second position with 4,291,713 sold rooms with a growth rate of 59.1 percent. Riyadh province ranked third with an occupancy rate of 59.9 percent and 1,036,427 sold rooms.

Makkah also reported the highest rate of occupancy of sold furnished flats throughout the kingdom with 5,133,572 flats and a growth rate of 47.5 percent. Riyadh city came in second regarding the numbers of sold flats by 2,475,353 and growth rate of 66.2 percent. Al Madinah city ranked third with an occupancy rate 41.4 percent and the number of sold flats reaching 2,456,491.

MAS report also stated that the highest rate of occupancy for hotel rooms reported in hotels that included 150-299 rooms, in which the occupancy rate reached 56.6 percent compared with hotels that include 80-149 rooms, which reported the lowest occupancy rate of 51.1 percent.

As for furnished flats, the highest rate of occupancy was for those units that include 39 flats in which the occupancy rate reached 54.2 percent and the number of sold flats was 6,897,227, compared with furnished flats that included 150-299 flats, which reported 41.0 percent, and the number of sold flats reached 621,782.