Ramadan 2016 vs. Ramadan 2015
STR has analysed preliminary daily data for seven select markets in the region during the month of Ramadan. The analysis considers the full 30-day Ramadan period in 2016 (6 June to 6 July) and compares revenue per available room (RevPAR) percentage changes against the comparable period in 2015 (18 June to 18 July).
Key findings include:
- The city with the strongest performance declines during Ramadan 2016 was Muscat, experiencing a -24.8% decline in RevPAR compared with Ramadan 2015. This was driven by declines in both ADR (-14% to OMR 52.64) and occupancy (-12.5% to 26.5%). Abu Dhabi witnessed a similar pattern, although performance declines were less pronounced than in Muscat. During Ramadan, Abu Dhabi experienced a -7.7% decline in occupancy to an actual level of 46.1%, while ADR declined 7.2% to AED342.71.
- The two main religious centres for Islam in the Middle East, Mecca and Medina, witnessed positive RevPAR performances during Ramadan 2016. For Makkah hotels, RevPAR growth was mainly driven by increases in ADR (+4.3% to SAR 2,082.13), with occupancy up 3.9% to 80.8% during Ramadan. Medina’s performance was mainly driven by a 1.5% increase in occupancy to 72.6%, with ADR also growing modestly (+1.1% to SAR796.73).
- RevPAR declines in Dubai during Ramadan were mainly driven by the declines in ADR (-11.6% to AED 477.32), while occupancy remained stable year-over-year (43.3%).
