Hotel rates across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region rocketed this summer compared to last year, according to a research conducted by an Australian tourism website.

The website hotelscombined.com reported significant increases in Dubai (57 per cent), Madinah (44 per cent), and Sousse in Tunisia (43 per cent) between June and August.

It also reported that room rates in Manama had gone up by 25 per cent during those months, compared to the same time last year.

Hoteliers in Bahrain confirmed business had been good during the Formula One weekend in April and the Eid holiday in August, but added this was not the case throughout that period.

"Overall, since April and towards Eid, we had good occupancy and good rates during the Formula One and the Eid holiday," said Five Star Hotels Executive Committee chairman Abdulnabi Daylami.

"We certainly did not have those kinds of occupancy and rates throughout the period. The average was much less."

Four Star Hotel Committee chairman Hameed Al Halwachi added rates and occupancy depended on the season and occasion.

"Yes, we had good business and rates went up during Eid and the Formula One, but so did occupancy," he said.

"I can safely say we had an average increase in rates of between five and 10 per cent since April."

The website reported the average summer hotel price in Dubai went up from around BD65 ($171.4) last year to approximately BD100 this year.

It said the only exceptions where summer prices decreased were Doha, Qatar, and Alexandria, Egypt, which dipped by 5 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.

"Based on average hotel rates aggregated by top travel websites throughout June, July and August, the majority of Mena destinations experienced a spike in price this summer when compared with the 2011 summer season," it said, in a survey published online.

HotelsCombined international strategy head Hichame Assi said the trend had been developing. "Every summer, the Mena tourism sector appears to experience significant growth," he said.

"This is especially apparent in the Middle East, where Islamic pilgrimage has summer tourism increasing steadily.

"The return of consumer confidence in countries like Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia, following the cultural and political upheaval in the region, is also encouraging," he added.-TradeArabia News Service