2013 was a really outstanding year for Abu Dhabi thanks its two leading golf clubs Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Saadiyat Beach Golf Club has unveiled an unprecedented growth of 94% against the same period in 2013. Abu Dhabi Golf Club, famed for its iconic falcon-shaped club house, recorded gains of 56% YOY.
As we can expect Abu Dhabi's golfin industry strongly relies on internation inbound golf tourism for both clubs. According to some sources this can be the result of the 'Golf in Abu Dhabi' initiative.
Here are some nice figures from 2013:
- Occupancy rate for the year to date is 70% – up 9% on 2012.
- Total hotel revenues for the year to date is close to AED 5 billion (US $1.4 billion) – up 11% on 2012, with f&b income representing close to AED1.9 billion (US $517.2 million), which has climbed 19%.
- Average room rate is now running at AED477.22 (US $122) – which is a slight dip of 1% on the year.
What I am still missing from these great golf clubs is the frictionless payments. Why am I not enabled to login with my LinkedIn account or with "Login with PayPal"? We really need an outstanding online shopping experience. I would really appreciate if I could invite my friends to play with me like KLM helps me find the right seatmate in their Meet&Seat application or plan in advance a game with my folks.