Latest Sojern Data Sees Middle East Sustaining World Cup Travel Intent

DUBAI

United Arab Emirates

,

March 1, 2023

/PRNewswire/ —

sojern

the leading travel marketing platform, today shares its latest data highlighting that the

middle East

continues to build on its strong travel momentum in 2022. With relatively quick recoveries from COVID-19 in the UAE and

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

(KSA) is trying to secure its place on the tourism map

with an ambitious increase in visitors

, it looks like the strong travel intent to the region will continue well into 2023. In February, Sojern sees that 2023 flight searches are up year-on-year (YoY) globally; 72% from APAC, 48% from EMEA, 36% from the US and

Canada

30% from LATAM and 23% from

Caribbean

. With last year’s FIFA World Cup boosting travel recovery in the region, Sojern takes a look at the current state of the travel industry now that the tournament dust has settled.

Demand for regional hotels in many Middle East countries above 2019 levels

Several recently

reports

highlight that

middle East

Destinations are leading the global travel recovery, fueled in part by

Dubai’s

Expo 2020 and last year

World Championship

. The latest housing data from Sojern supports this positive picture and shows that interest in the region from most countries of origin is high and even higher in 2023

January 2019

levels. Demand for inbound travel from Africa,

Asia Pacific

(APAC) and Latin America (LATAM) continue to grow, with KSA seeing one of the most notable increases in demand. The country sees a 541% increase in international home searches in 2023 compared to 2019

Africa

358% of

Europe

279% from LATAM, 251% from

The United States

and 2.547% of

Canada

. This survey indicates that their

tourist ambitions

Attracting 100 million annual visitors by the end of the decade appears to be off to a strong start.

Qatar

continues to ride the World Cup wave with particularly strong interest from LATAM. Accommodation demand from the region

middle East

Travelers are up 123% while the rest of the world is also above 2019 levels;

Africa

– 95%,

Europe

– 71%, APAC – 69%, LATAM – 255%,

United States

– 255% and

Canada

– 172%. Most recently with Formula 1

to announce

Qatar Airways as a new global airline partner in a multi-year deal that includes the return of the Qatar Grand Prix in October, along with a host of leading technologies and hospitality

events

Sojern will take place throughout 2023 and will be watching closely to see if travel interest continues to grow.

looking for accommodation

Turkey

And

Egypt

have also surged and are currently hovering above 2019 volumes.

Egypt

The continued intention to travel may have been encouraged by the country

Offer

Direct flights depart

doha

to Egyptian cities during the World Cup to attract fans and boost tourism.

of Morocco

The tourism industry has so far recovered more slowly, but Sojern’s data shows that there has been significant growth in 2023 so far compared to 2021/2022. With the Moroccan government trying to bring that about

sector

Going back to the pre-pandemic revenue and tourist numbers it recorded, Sojern sees continued growth for the rest of the year.

Global travelers to the Middle East are seeking shorter stays compared to pre-pandemic levels

Overall, compared to 2019, Sojern sees global travelers less likely to stay in the same hotel for more than two weeks in 2023. With global travel restrictions now largely lifted, travelers may try to plan multiple short breaks within a single trip to vary their experiences. Also, considering the availability of intra-regional low-cost airline flights in the region, travelers may prefer to visit several Middle Eastern countries for a few days each.

Sojern also sees that a larger proportion of travelers are considering stays of just one day, especially in

Qatar

. This may be due to travelers adding it to their itinerary because of the impact of the World Cup, or possibly because many travelers are taking advantage of that

middle East

as a stopover on intermediate flights

Asia Pacific

And

Europe

. Qatar Airways also offers

Stopover Packages

where travelers can stay

Qatar

before embarking on their final destination of visiting two destinations in one trip. KSA is also seeing interest in longer stays of up to a week. This suggests that their overall tourism

expenditure

from

$43.33 billion

in 2022, a 93 percent increase from the previous year, could help the country meet its goal of attracting 25 million tourists in 2023.

US travelers remain a key market for Middle Eastern countries

Sojern also sees that over 75% of US travelers stay in the region for more than eight days. Compared to other long-haul destinations in

Asia

They are more willing to stay longer than a week, making them valuable travelers for Middle Eastern destinations. Many

Countries

including KSA, have made it relatively easy to obtain tourist visas, while others like it

Oman

have abolished many tourist visas altogether to attract more valuable visitors.

“With our latest data supporting this travel intention to

middle East

remains strong, it is encouraging to see that the World Cup has given a boost to the region,” he said

StewartSmith

Managing Director MEA&I Sojern.

“Long flight times and potential misunderstandings regarding the region as a destination may continue to lead to relatively cautious travel planning. A flurry of ongoing events in the region combined with sustained and impactful marketing strategies from newer golf destinations such as

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

will continue to influence valuable US travelers and other global visitors. Never underestimating the power of data, enabling multichannel activation at scale and ensuring marketing is always on, will help hoteliers and destination marketers thrive at this crucial time for tourism.”

About soyern

sojern

is the leading digital marketing platform for travel marketers. Based on artificial intelligence and travel intent data, Sojern offers multichannel marketing solutions to drive direct demand. More than 10,000 hotels, attractions, tourism boards and travel marketers rely on Sojern every year to attract and delight travelers around the world.

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SOURCE Sojern