UAE residents spend much more than neighbours in eating out

Dining and entertainment continue to be important priorities for UAE consumers, according to findings of the latest MasterCard survey on Consumer Purchasing Priorities - Dining and Entertainment.

UAE consumers surveyed spend an average of Dh841 ($229) per month on eating out, topping other Middle East markets.

In fact, in the UAE, 30 per cent of consumers spend between Dh370-1,836 ($101-500) on dining out. Those above the age of 55 years tend to be the highest spenders, disbursing an average of Dh2,710 ($738) per month, while those with an annual household income of Dh110,184 ($30,000) and above, spend close to Dh955 ($260) per month. In addition, 11 per cent of the consumers in the UAE said that they were likely to eat out more in the latter half of 2011 compared to previous months.

Food courts are the most preferred dining outlets, with 88 per cent of the respondents visiting them in past months. The next most popular choices for UAE consumers were quick serve/ fast food restaurants (86 per cent), mid-range family restaurants/ cafes (63 per cent), fine dining, standalone restaurants (56 per cent) and fine dining within hotels (36 per cent).

Cash emerged as the most preferred method of payment for UAE consumers across most dining outlet types. However, credit cards were more popular in some cases. Of those who visited hotels for fine dining, 66 per cent used credit cards compared to 21 per cent who used cash. Among those who visited fine dining, standalone restaurants, 49 per cent used credit cards compared to 32 per cent who used cash.

“The UAE is renowned for its world-class restaurants and its diverse array of cuisine offerings which cater to a wide range of ethnic groups and age brackets. Consumers enjoy these lifestyle choices as indicated by the strong results for the dining segment in MasterCard’s latest survey. This suggests a positive outlook for the UAE’s hospitality sector,” said Eyad Al-Kourdi, vice president and country manager, UAE, MasterCard Worldwide.

“In addition, the emirates’ development of leading entertainment events and theme parks and its strong support for the cinematic arts is also well received by consumers,” he added.

While average spending in Qatar is Dh774/ $211 per month, Dh719/$196 per month in Kuwait; Dh385/$105 in Lebanon; Dh242/$66 in Oman; and Dh139/$38 in Egypt.

 Trends in Entertainment:  

Entertainment continues to be rated highly, with two in three UAE consumers having visited cinemas and one in two UAE consumers having visited amusement/ theme parks in recent months. Interestingly, more males (72 per cent) than females (59 per cent) like to go to the cinema.

The next most popular entertainment option for UAE consumers were health club/gymnasiums (29 per cent) and live performances (14 per cent).

Looking at the second half of 2011, the top entertainment priorities for UAE consumers appear to be catching a movie at the cinema (65 per cent), visiting amusement or theme parks (47 per cent) and going to a health club (32 per cent).

Leisure activities and hobbies that UAE consumers currently enjoy or would be interested in for the coming months include shopping (48 per cent), food (35 per cent), surfing the web (34 per cent), sport (23 per cent) and reading (20 per cent).

On average, UAE consumers spend 13 per cent of their personal monthly income on leisure, hobbies, and personal entertainment.

The survey was conducted from March 15 and April 27 this year with 17,620 consumers from 25 markets.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.