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Forward ticket data for July and August 2024 indicates that European travellers are increasingly choosing to venture further afield to explore Dubai with a 11 per cent increase compared to the same time in 2023. Highlighted by forwardKeys, Outbound travel from Europe is displaying clear trends, with year-on-year growth in long-haul travel to a diverse range of Asian markets.

According to flight tickets issued as of 13th February, total international travel from China in Q1 2024 is predicted to experience a 31% decline compared to 2019 levels, although showing a 7-percentage point increase from Q3 2023. The picture varies by region: travel to Africa and the Middle East sees only a 5% decrease compared to 2019, while travel to Europe remains 26% below 2019 levels. The APAC region shows a 31% decline, while recovery in the Americas remains slow, with a 50% decline. During the Chinese New Year period, Chinese outbound travel lags behind 2019 levels by 32%. Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia represent the largest shares at 28% and 40% respectively. However, the Middle East emerges as the standout performer, having already recovered to 2019 levels. This recovery is particularly notable in Cairo, which shows a 7% increase, establishing itself as a burgeoning destination for Chinese travellers.

According to the latest report released by ForwardKeys in MEA the recovery of demand for premium cabin classes continues to perform better than for economy seats — an indication that even during widespread cost of-living concerns, high-income consumers remain resilient to pricing pressure. Another trend for the year is that lead times are back to pre-pandemic length, now that booking behaviour is no longer conditioned by travel restrictions, and consumer confidence is restored, booking patterns reflect pre-pandemic behaviour in  MEA and Europe where lead times for 2023 are on par with 2019. Some of the other trends this year is that travellers opt for fewer, longer trips, travellers prefer to stick together, flexible work drives offseason travel, the future is digital for travel agencies and climate change matters long-term.

Tourism Malaysia showcased its remarkable achievements in leveraging data to navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and redefine the tourism landscape at the ForwardKeys event during the World Travel Market 2023. Speaking at the event, Mr. Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof, Senior Director of AERO at Tourism Malaysia, emphasised the pivotal role of data in charting the course for Malaysia’s tourism revival. “Data has been our guiding light during these challenging times,” he said. “It has been instrumental in not only assessing the readiness for the reopening of tourism but also in shaping our marketing strategies in response to evolving traveller preferences.” Key Messages: Pandemic Recovery through Data: Mr. Yusof highlighted how data-driven insights were crucial in determining the readiness to reopen tourism activities after the Movement Control Order (MCO). Surveys involving the domestic population provided valuable information that shaped guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The surveys revealed a high demand for domestic travel, leading to the staged reopening of tourism activities. For international markets, surveys with overseas tourism stakeholders informed the establishment of travel bubbles and the eventual reopening of international borders on April 1, 2022.   Data-Driven Marketing: The data collected during the pandemic became the cornerstone of Tourism Malaysia’s marketing efforts. It played a pivotal role in developing new marketing narratives for both domestic and international markets. This data was also instrumental in redefining services and product offerings within the tourism sector.   Identifying New Markets: Mr. Yusof underscored the importance of data partnerships with various government agencies and organisations, such as the Department of Statistics, Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM), Immigration, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economics (KE), academic institutions, and international bodies. This collaboration …

Juan Gomez, Head of Market Intelligence at ForwardKeys says: ” Overall, confirmed tickets for international arrivals in the Middle East during the second half of 2023 are up by 12% vs the same moment last year.  Oman (+31%), the UAE (+29%) and Saudi Arabia (+15%) are leading the way with double-digit growths. In 2023, the Middle East’s impressive tourism performance continues, with a projected increase in international arrivals compared to the previous year in the remaining six months. Most destinations are on track to match or exceed their 2022 numbers, a testament to the relentless efforts of local authorities in transforming the region into a global tourism powerhouse.” He adds: “While destinations like Qatar may not reach the exceptional volumes of 2022 due to the FIFA World Cup’s influence, neighbouring countries continue to bask in the afterglow of last year’s sporting spectacle. Countries such as Jordan and Egypt show forward booking levels lower than the previous year, but this situation remains dynamic, and an upward trend could materialize as the year progresses.” However, destinations like Qatar (-30%) may not reach the exceptional volumes of 2022 due to the FIFA World Cup’s influence. Countries such as Jordan (+7%) and Egypt (-4%) show forward booking levels around 2022 levels, but this situation remains dynamic, and an upward trend could materialize as the year progresses.

ForwardKeys announced at WTTC´s Global Summit Riyadh that despite the current global challenges such as the war in Ukraine and impending inflation, the travel market is seeing an uplift in international arrivals. Apart from the travel recovery in the Americas, particularly Central America and the Caribbean, the Middle East is proving to be capturing the attention of international travellers in Q4 and early 2023. The Middle East is shifting to growth mode in Q4 with international arrivals at +4%, long ahead of the global average of -30%. “The FIFA World Cup is certainly the key driver for its travel recovery”, says Juan Gomez, Head of Market Intelligence at ForwardKeys. The latest air ticketing data by ForwardKeys also shows that international arrival levels may be back to normal in 2023, with travel to the Middle East up by 15% on pre-pandemic levels in Q1. “The Middle East is the only region to show growth into 2023, but Africa and America are not too far behind. Overall, the outlook for 2023 looks promising, despite high inflation in key source markets and the looming recession. Tickets are still being booked and economy class travel continues closing the gap with premium cabins,” adds Gomez. The Middle East is indeed attracting more premium travellers than in 2019. Saudi Arabia shows the greatest growth, but Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon are also showing growth, with a regional average of 11% above 2019. ForwardKeys has recently launched the 2022 Most Visited Destinations Report, featuring a top 100 destinations by region list whilst also examining key destinations which showed uncanny resilience and travel data mastery: Albania, Tanzania, Fiji, and the Maldives. The country list is headed by the …