Tag Archives: Saudi travellers

Almosafer has experienced its best month ever for consumer travel bookings in Saudi Arabia in June 2022, with volumes exceeding pre-pandemic levels in June 2019 by 28%. The growth in bookings reveals a strong appetite for consumer travel as pent-up demand is unleashed with the removal of pandemic restrictions across the world. Data collated from across Almosafer’s omnichannel booking platforms has revealed the booking behaviours of Saudi travellers for this summer period. Saudi travellers continue to enjoy luxury experiences, opting to book stays at luxury accommodations with five-star hotels accounting for almost 50% of hotel bookings this summer. As people return to travel, they are spending more money for meaningful experiences as average order values for bookings has increased by 66% for hotels and 19% for flights, compared to the summer travel season in 2019. Travellers are also displaying resilient confidence in the travel industry as they continue to book their holidays in advance, with an average booking window of 36 days in summer 2022. With travel restrictions being eased, or removed entirely, across the world, there are now much less sudden changes to international travel rules which could jeopardise travel plans leading to growing consumer confidence. Spending on domestic travel in Saudi Arabia has also increased by 7% as Saudis continue to explore the many attractions in the Kingdom. Abha, the culturally rich capital of the Aseer region, is becoming an increasingly popular destination this summer with bookings up by 125% compared to summer 2019. For international travel, Dubai, London, Cairo, Paris and Sharm El Sheikh ranked as the most popular destinations for Saudi travellers. Bookings for London this summer have increased by 133% compared to summer 2019, driven …

‘Eid in Qatar’ festivities in May drove a strong influx of visitors last month, with international arrivals at 166,000, the highest monthly figure so far this year. Of all visitors, those from Saudi Arabia constituted 40%, while the GCC overall made up more than half (54%). Supported by the easing of public health measures, the latest tourism performance data represents more than a quarter of all visitors welcomed over the first five months of this year. And capitalising on Qatar’s close proximity and ease of access, the proportion of total arrivals by land exceeded that of air for the very first time, with visitors opting to drive through the open and operative Abu Samra border. The latest data on visitor arrivals point to a steady recovery of Qatar’s tourism sector, with the year-to-date total (580 k) fast approaching the overall arrivals figure of 2021 (611 k). Furthermore, arrivals in May this year are 25% higher than that of May 2019, demonstrating a return to pre-pandemic levels of tourism as public health measures for travel ease. Commenting on the latest tourism figures, Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel said, “Qatar has long been a popular destination for GCC nationals and residents, and we are delighted to witness the strong return of visitors from the region. Furthermore, while air travel remains a strong pillar of our tourism strategy, attracting visitors from all corners of the globe, we are pleased to see an influx of visitors leveraging Qatar’s multiple points of access and visiting Qatar via its land and sea borders.” He added, “2022 has been a pivotal year for the tourism sector and we’re excited to build on this growth …