Report finds travel is finally back on UAE residents’ priority list

Travellers wanting to go on ‘trip of a lifetime’ — and they have the savings too

It looks like UAE’s residents are back to chasing the better experiences life has on offer — and travel is back firmly in their plans. A survey shows that 81 per cent in the 25-34year category are ready to embrace pre-pandemic shopping, travel, and holiday experiences.

The report, released by software data firm Sitecore, says that 82 per cent of UAE consumers plan to make bigger and “more mindful” holiday purchases this year, fuelled in part by the fact that 72 per cent of UAE consumers say they have more savings set aside for the holidays this year compared to last year. “As 83 per cent of consumers in the UAE are very clearly ready to move on from the pandemic, they are looking at ‘Holiday 2021’ as the beginning of the rest of their lives,” said Mohammad Al Khotani, Area Vice-President, Sitecore.

More offerings

“Our research shows pent-up demand and more savings than usual will result in younger consumers splurging on self-care and big-ticket items at the register, which is great news for those in retail, travel, and hospitality. It’s also heartening to see that 69 per cent of UAE consumers want to support their local community, including locally-owned businesses. The industry will need to respond with more offerings from these businesses.”

Travel is back in a big way with several sourcing markets such as India and UK reopening. In summer, UAE residents were heading in large numbers to destinations such as Maldives, Armenia, Georgia, Serbia, and Zanzibar.

However, as a per a latest update from UAE’s aviation regulator, UAE nationals are still not allowed to fly to 16 countries, including India, Pakistan, South Africa, Nepal and Nigeria. While this could have an adverse effect on outbound tourism, hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be more than eager to welcome domestic tourists, who formed a backbone for the industry during the pandemic.