Abu Dhabi, home to the world’s first Ferrari theme park, saw a 17.4 percent jump in May hotel occupancy to 64.2 percent, Deloitte and STR Global data showed.

Hotels in the UAE trade and tourism hub Dubai, known for the world’s tallest tower, reported a more modest occupancy increase of 0.7 percent to 69.9 percent in May from the previous year.

“There is a tale of two geographies at the moment. One is that in countries impacted by the ‘Arab Spring’, tourism has been decimated,” said Alex Kyriakidis, Deloitte global managing director for tourism, hospitality and leisure.

“If you look at Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon and Syria, you look at declines of at least 30 and in most cases 50 percent in terms of revenues and available rooms,” he said.

Overall Middle East hotel occupancy declined by 1.8 percent, to 60.4 percent, in May compared to the same period last year.

The UAE, the world’s No. 3 oil exporter, has been drawing tourists to attractions such as the luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel and an indoor ski slope.

“Tourists, particularly upscale tourists, who would have gone to Egypt and to Tunisia are now coming to Dubai. Saudi nationals who would have gone to Bahrain are now coming to Dubai,” Kyriakidis said.

Hotels, wholesale and retail trade account for 15 percent of the UAE’s economic output, government data shows.

“It is really good that there is an increase in the summertime. Most people go out from the country,” said Mohamed Amerah, economic adviser at the Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Dubai’s room occupancy rate is well below the nearly 82 percent seen in the oil-boom year of 2008, according to government data, although number of rooms has soared by around 60 percent over the last five years, Kyriakidis said.

The number of tourists in Abu Dhabi rose 10 percent in January-May, the emirate’s tourism authority said this week.

The emirate has hosted more leisure and entertainment events, such as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as well as major conferences and exhibitions, to attract visitors.

In Oman, hotel occupancy in the capital Muscat dropped by 18.8 percent year-on-year to 40.8 percent in May.