Half of UAE to vacation in next six months

Almost half of all UAE respondents (47 per cent) of recent MasterCard survey are looking to leave for a vacation in the coming six months. This is higher than the Middle East average (36 per cent) and a significant increase from 27 per cent of respondents planning to travel a year ago, the cards company said in a statement today.
 
The top destinations for UAE consumers who plan to travel are Malaysia (26 per cent), Egypt (25 per cent) and India (24 per cent).  When compared to a year ago, consumers from the UAE were interested in travelling to Egypt and India (as indicated by 21 per cent of consumers), followed by Lebanon (20 per cent of consumers).

Across the Middle East, Egypt continues to rank as the most popular travel destination for consumers, followed by the UAE and Syria.

The latest survey was conducted from September 13 to November 11, 2010 and involved 10,502 consumers from 24 markets across Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

The survey also reveals consumers’ continued interest in travelling to destinations within the Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa region. A considerable 56 per cent of would-be travellers in the Middle East said they are looking to explore close to home.

Of the markets surveyed, respondents in Hong Kong (58 per cent) appear to be the keenest on taking a trip, followed by UAE (47 per cent) and Kuwait (46 per cent). Elsewhere in the Middle East, respondents in Saudi Arabia (43 per cent), Qatar (40 per cent) and Egypt (20 per cent) are also looking forward to holidays abroad.

Interesting to note, Lebanon’s results have almost tripled since the previous wave of the study, skyrocketing from 8 per cent to 23 per cent.

Consumers in the UAE continue to prioritise Dining & Entertainment (79 per cent) and Fashion & Accessories (61 per cent) as top purchasing priorities. This is followed by a significant proportion looking to spend on international personal air travel (47 per cent).

“It is encouraging to see that UAE consumers continue to perceive personal travel as an important spending priority and that many of these respondents intend to travel within the region during this period. This great interest in travelling is fuelled by the UAE’s considerable expatriate community, who are most like returning home to celebrate the festive season with their family or simply enjoying the holidays for personal relaxation,” said Eyad Al-Kourdi, vice president and country manager, UAE, MasterCard Worldwide.

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