TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
With ease of travel restrictions, the overall demand for travel increased considerably over the past few weeks. Traveller confidence has risen, particularly in areas that have clear regulations, no rules for quarantine upon arrival, and direct airline options. Emily Jenkins, Head of Leisure UAE, dnata Travel, shares with TRAVTALK some of the travel trends and traveller sentiments.
Shehara Rizly
What are the current travel trends for UAE residents?
Whilst the UAE remains the number one travel destination of choice for UAE residents, there is clear demand for international travel driving bookings for this summer and beyond, with 81 per cent of overall search traffic for dnata Travel for international destinations.
Traveller confidence and interest in travel to Europe is at an all-time high. With the UAE’s impressive vaccination drive, our travellers have witnessed a surge of popular city, beach and countryside hotspots across Europe open to them for travel. Most popular for travel from the UAE includes Turkey. City and countryside retreats in Italy and Georgia have also been gaining traction, alongside beach breaks in Greece. The Spanish coast is also seeing rise in traffic. Switzerland opened in July to all vaccinated travellers, and has become one of our fastest-growing destinations of choice.
What are the top five destinations for this summer?
From June 2021 to date, the top five most booked international travel destinations for summer 2021 from the UAE are the Maldives, Turkey, Switzerland, Georgia, and the Seychelles, respectively.
What is their preference in terms of flight duration? How many days do they spend?
We are seeing a steady growth in trending travel searches and bookings across the globe, with stable gains each month, including for both short- and long-haul destinations.Short- and medium-haul destinations are certainly attractive to travellers due to their quick, easy flight time from the UAE, and the opportunity to travel for a long weekend.
UAE travellers are staying on holiday for longer in 2021. Length of stay is up 30 per cent overall for UAE travellers booking with dnata Travel, increasing from an average of three nights in previous years to five nights,
and with more customers booking seven nights plus.
Were some travellers interested in experiencing domestic travel instead of travelling abroad?
The UAE currently is, and always has been the number one travel destination of choice for its residents. In the past year, domestic travellers have been exploring more of the UAE than ever before, and they are appreciating the incredible landscapes, attractions and luxurious resorts on our doorstep.
