Research by Skyscanner revealed that UAE holidaymakers are expecting another strong year of travel despite economic uncertainty. However, price-led decisions will drive change in the coming year, 88 percent of UAE travellers revealed that they plan to spend the same time, if not more, on travel abroad but how they are going to spend will differ.
“It is clear that we’re hungrier than ever to discover something new – even though we might have less in our pockets next year. The aftermath of a pandemic has made travellers look for ways to make up for lost time and create new experiences and memories,” Naomi Hahn, VP of strategy.
Key trends according to the research revealed that travel still remains a priority, however, consumers are looking to make better informed decisions about their discretionary spend. Over 69 percent of UAE customers are planning more holidays as compared to 2023.
Although the rising cost of living remains a concern, 39 percent have revealed priority of holidays next year over other big-ticket items.
88 percent of UAE travellers are planning to spend the same amount, if not more, on travel abroad in 2023, only 9 percent are planning to send less.
Three major destinations have seen the biggest price drops since the pandemic being Santorini, Vienne and Sarajevo.
The report reveals that travellers are increasingly on the hunt for less popular places that offer undiscovered experiences. For families, Vienna has seen a 146 percent increase in searches, followed by Los Angeles at a 110 percent increase and London at a 23 percent increase.
For couples, Phuket has seen a rise of 75 percent in searches, Athens saw a 34 percent increase and Glasgow saw a 54 percent increase.
Solo travelling is no longer a niche, data reveals, 69 percent of travellers from the UAE are considering going on solo trips next year. Beach holidays are topping preferences for ‘me time’.
Sustainable travels also seem to be growing in consideration for travellers, four out of five respondents (81 percent) revealed that sustainability is important, even more now than prior to the pandemic.
99 percent of UAE travellers use a mobile device to plan or book upcoming trips with the most preferred moments being at home or at work, a whopping 73 percent of travellers revealed that they are most likely to book a trip if they have seen it on social media.
The survey was conducted with over 2000 respondents from the UAE.
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