Saudi Arabia tops Mideast travel market
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A new study recently revealed that with 28 million residents, Saudi Arabia is the most populous and will constitute nearly 60% of the GCC population in 2030, while UAE, Oman, and Kuwait will add more than a third to their population during the same period.
The latest Amadeus-commissioned report ‘Shaping the Future of Travel in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’, Nashat Bukhari, general manager, Amadeus Saudi Arabia, said: “Saudi Arabia currently leads the Middle East market in terms of domestic and international air travel volume, and will continue to do so, primarily because of its youth-driven demographics, high level of smart device penetration, and diversification of economy. Saudi is using its hydrocarbon revenues to drive strategic infrastructural growth, a fact that is expected to trigger unprecedented growth in the region’s seasonal and corporate travel sector.”
According to the study, Saudi Arabia’s travel sector is also influenced by the increasing number of seasonal travelers during Umrah and Haj. Apart from this, inflow of non-GCC nationals into Saudi Arabia is mostly restricted to business and family visits.
“We believe that Saudi Arabia is poised to enter a new era of highly educated and connected youth, developed cities, new business and leisure destinations, and a new vision of leadership. We are keen to see the transition that is expected to take place in the country over the next 15 years, as well as its impact on the travel sector of the region,” added Bukhari.
The study additionally revealed nation-specific information on these ‘engines of change’ or ‘effects’ which are classified under five large heads: the population effect, the ‘beyond oil’ effect, the infrastructure effect, the gateway effect and the information effect.
The importance of social media within the travel industry has significantly increased in the past five years and will continue to be a dominant factor, he continued “Interestingly, Saudi Arabia has already registered a significant rise in online travel booking, expedited by the Arabisation of website content, he added.
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