The iconic Emirates Palace hotel, a hallmark of Abu Dhabi emirate, has become a major destination for Chinese tourists coming to the UAE, accounting for nearly a fifth of the hotel’s expected guests through February.

Before the end of 2012, out of 150 rooms at the sprawling seaside hotel, 80 rooms have already been booked by Chinese for the Chinese New Year, starting on February 10.

“Nearly 20 per cent of our guests will be Chinese in the Chinese new year period (February 2013),” Emirates Palace said, adding that around four per cent of the hotel’s guests were Chinese through the 2012 Chinese year.

Its records also showed there is a massive 50 per cent increase in Chinese bookings in the 2013 Chinese year compared with the 2012 Chinese year, indicating a steady growth in demand by Chinese tourists for rooms at Emirates Palace.

“There has been a steady and rapid growth in the number of Chinese visitors to Emirates Palace.…many Chinese New Year holidaymakers come to the hotel to spend a few nights…some spend more,” a hotel official said.

Besides being a hallmark of the capital, Emirates Palace has emerged as one of the main pillars in Abu Dhabi’s ongoing campaign to attract tourists to develop this vital sector as part of its strategy to diversify its oil-reliant economy.

China has become one of the top foreign investors and commercial partners of the UAE, with their two-way trade standing at nearly $30 billion in the first nine months of 2012. Trade jumped by a whopping 395 per cent in 10 years to reach around Dh57 billion in 2011 compared with Dh3.16 billion in 2002.

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