Dubai hotels saw a 5 per cent increase in the number of guests during the first half of 2009, official data showed Tuesday, after they cut prices and launched promotions.

An industry report said last month that Dubai hotels were hard hit in revenue terms in the Middle East during the first half of the year as the global financial crisis bit into the spending power of many travellers.

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said in a statement that hotels and hotel apartments in the Gulf's tourism hub received 3.85 million guests in the first half of the year, up 5 per cent from the same period last year.

According to media, the department asked hotels to offer discounts on room rates ranging from 40 per cent to 60 per cent from mid-January. A DTCM spokesman confirmed there had been discounts without giving details.

Gulfnews: Price cuts help Dubai hotels boost occupancy