2020 was rife with unprecedented challenges globally: a pandemic, closed borders, seismic shifts in travel trends and endless uncertainty.

 

Just as in most regions, travel in the Middle East was affected by the havoc the pandemic wreaked, forcing many travel organizations to re-think their strategies and re-adjust to the new reality. But there is also important good news that may help restart tourism to and from the region:

 

• Israel and the UAE signed an historic US-brokered peace deal opening opportunities for trade and tourism alike.

 

• Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE have agreed to restore full ties with Qatar. All countries, including their flagship carriers and other tourism organisations, gain from the restoration of relations.

 

• Domestic tourism bounced back quickly, and intra-regional travel continued to grow in popularity, with Dubai topping the top destinations list within the Middle East region.

 

• Travel sentiment amongst consumers in the Middle East remained strong for international trips. Driven by the desire to visit family and friends, go on beach holidays and take a workcation – all are contributing to the growing demand and plans to travel in the next 12 months.

 

A report by YouGov provides a synopsis of the consumer trends shaping travel and tourism in the ME region that industry marketers need to track in 2021.

 

How has travel sentiment fared in the Middle East in recent months?

 

The Middle East region is leading international travel demand globally, with an average of 35 per cent of respondents in the region planning a trip abroad for leisure in 2021 across the time period measured. A higher proportion of respondents (39 per cent) are hoping to take at least one domestic trip. Compared to other regions, travel sentiment has held firm week-on-week, hinting at consumer confidence in how countries have managed the pandemic and optimism for the new year. Globally, around 23 per cent of consumers are not planning to travel abroad whereas in the ME region this number trailed much lower at 12 per cent.

 

Although travel in the Middle East region is on a healthy recovery path, consumers here are still preoccupied with the health risks associated with travel – cited as the most significant obstacle to taking a holiday or a business trip. Notably, travel restrictions are less of a concern to those in the Middle East than to consumers in places like the UK or Germany, where government lockdowns are cited as the primary reason for not travelling. Tourism organizations will need to note price sensitivities, as 35 per cent of Middle Eastern respondents also said that the actual price of travel currently prevents them from travelling. That makes sense given the widespread concerns we’d seen around the macro-economic climate in many markets.

 

Across the ME region, the desire to travel is evident and strong across all groups of consumers. Digging into specific travel segments reveals which travel trends are important to each group:-

 

• The desire to go on vacation is particularly prevalent amongst luxury consumers, who tend to fly business or first-class and stay in five-star accommodations.

 

• Staycations appeal to consumers on both ends of the pricing spectrum, with luxury and budget travellers alike leading in their appetite to book trips locally (54 per cent and 46 per cent).

 

• Local travel is also popular amongst those who seek to take a short weekend trip, as well as those who favour travel incentives such as wellness, culture and are keen to reduce their impact on the environment. Domestic travel is less appealing to consumers seeking adventures as they likely prefer to travel further afield.

 

Despite the recent record numbers of daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, residents in both Gulf countries feel confident about their respective nation’s progress in fighting Covid-19. A significant majority of respondents in both countries believe that the coronavirus situation is getting better. However, the most recent spike in the UAE resulted in an increase in the proportion of people feeling the situation in the Emirates was getting worse. Although the vaccine rollout is underway within the region and in many countries worldwide, there are bound to be obstacles for governments to overcome. As a result, the recovery is still fragile and any surges in cases may further dampen travel sentiment. - TradeArabia News Service