Hotels in Aberdeen enjoyed a modest pick-up in bookings during December but only after a sharp drop in room rates.
The latest Scottish Intercity Report from tourism market research specialist LJ Research shows more than half of the Granite City’s hotel rooms (53%) were booked last month, a 2.6 percentage point increase from a year earlier.
But the average room rate (ARR) in Europe’s energy capital fell by 14.9% to £61.35 and revenue per available room (revpar) – a key industry benchmark – was down by 12.7% at £32.50.
LJ Research said its figures highlighted a “slightly more optimistic outlook” for Aberdeen, compared to last year, hinting at a possible continuation of modest occupancy increases in the months to come.
Steve Harris, chief executive of tourism body VisitAberdeenshire, said: “Hotel occupancy levels across Aberdeen are up and that can only be a good thing for the city.
“Hoteliers have persevered through a challenging few months so to hear that they are reporting a more positive outlook for the coming months is encouraging.
“December is traditionally a month when we see an increase in leisure visitors travelling to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to take advantage of our excellent shopping facilities and Winter Festival.
“As we progress through the year several high profile corporate events, including SPE Offshore Europe, will be held in the city and we look forward to welcoming additional business tourists to the region.”
LJ Research said hotels in Edinburgh and Glasgow enjoyed both occupancy and room rate growth last month.
Occupancy was highest in Edinburgh, where hotels sold 82.3% of their rooms. This was 2.4 percentage points higher than in December 2015.
The capital’s hotels achieved a 20.7% increase in ARR to £113.48, while revpar grew by 23.6% to £93.40.
Glasgow’s hotels were 74.5% full, up by 4.5 percentage points year-on-year, while ARR and revpar in Scotland’s largest city grew by 4.7% to £69.96 and 8.8% to £51.86 respectively.
