Tag Archives: travel trends

International SOS underscored the necessity to implement enhanced risk management strategies for travellers and organisations, amid the increasing international travel. While global travel regained momentum despite significant fluctuations throughout 2023, the evolving landscape raises concerns about the growing complexity of risks that both travellers and organisations need to navigate. International SOS data revealed a 59% increase in international travel and 48.4% increase in domestic travel during October 2023, as compared to the beginning of the year.1 These findings align with a recent report from The International Air Transport Association (IATA), emphasising the resurgence of global travel. According to IATA, global air traffic reached 97.3% of pre-COVID levels at the end of 2023.2 With the holiday season quickly approaching, IATA anticipates that this trend will continue into the New Year, despite economic and political uncertainties in parts of the world. For instance, the Middle East region anticipates to witness a substantial uptick in air passenger traffic, indicating a promising trajectory for 2024. Additionally, the industry forecasts indicate that the volume will reach 105% of 2019 levels, facilitating travel of around 429 million passengers. Michael Rogers, Chief Security Analyst at International SOS said: “The resurgence in global travel comes at a time in which the travel security landscape is increasingly being complicated by geopolitical events, natural disasters and other developments. More and more organisations are finding comprehensive risk mitigation strategies for their mobile workforce to be of upmost importance. Today, more than ever, travellers need to remain informed of prevailing risks and attendant mitigation measures. Beyond geopolitical issues and natural disasters, emerging diseases, social unrest and evolving crime dynamics require that travellers practice vigilance. Across a series of concurrent and overlapping crises, …

Travellers in the UAE are favouring the same holiday destinations year after year for home comforts and familiarity, with the pandemic leading most to being less adventurous than usual according to new research from Marriott Bonvoy, the travel loyalty programme that encompasses hotels, resorts, home rentals and experiences across 30 brands in 138 countries. UAE travellers seek the familiar post-lockdown The figures show that just a quarter (27%) of those going abroad plan to visit somewhere new for their post-lockdown holiday. The Maldives and Turkey are jointly the number one destinations for those from the UAE for their next getaway. Nineteen per cent of those planning a holiday abroad intend to visit The Maldives, and the figure is the same for Turkey. However, seven in ten of those going to Turkey (73%) say they have gone on holiday there previously and 48% have been multiple times. Meanwhile, 68% of those going to the Maldives have been there before. Egypt is the third most popular destination for post-pandemic breaks amongst those from the UAE travelling abroad (17%), followed by the UK (13%) and Italy (13%). In total, 88% say they will be going on holiday in the next 12 months. Seven per cent plan not to, whilst 6% remain unsure. It appears that lockdown has had an impact on where those from the UAE are choosing to go for their post-lockdown holidays. Over half (51%) say the pandemic has led to them being less confident in visiting new places. Amongst those who do not plan to go away 52% say that this is specifically due to a lack of confidence in travel post-Covid. The aim of the research is to look into how …