The latest hotel statistics from Abu Dhabi show that the Emirate state is achieving its ambitious targets for growing its tourism industry.

The number of hotel guests staying in the emirate rose by 16 per cent in the first nine months of 2010 compared to the same period last year.

Figures from Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) show that a total of 1,326,463 guests stayed in hotels and hotel apartments from January to September.

Visitors from the UK held the top spot with numbers increasing by 50 per cent to 83,239 guests.

However, ADTA figures also show that the rapid building of new hotels and the resulting additional room capacity continues to drive down overall occupancy levels.

Occupancy rates have fallen 17 per cent year-on-year while average room rates (RevPAR) are down by 21 per cent.

The Abu Dhabi government has launched a tourism strategy to grow arrivals by 15 per cent next year - to 1.9m.

If successful, the increase means that the tourism industry will account for 11.1 per cent of all non-oil GDP in the country.