Middle East millennials drive demand for personalization
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At this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) from 24-27 April, Travelport says it will highlight how travel tech is allowing airlines and travel agents to meet Middle East travellers’ demands. 
According to the company, by providing a more personalized travel experience with more relevant travel choices to all the region’s travellers, there’s an opportunity to grow business.
Travel & Tourism investment in the Middle East is set to continue to rise by over 7% in 2017 and digital consumption in the UAE and Saudi Arabia is expected to reach high levels of personalization by 2021. Innovation in travel tech is supporting the industry’s growth through connecting travellers to more travel choices
With today’s youngest working segment- the millennial generation- estimated to become the largest workforce segment by 2030 , travel industry players in the Middle East are leveraging technology to meet the needs of millennials who tend to be higher spenders than their global peers with regards to travel.
The region’s travel industry is feeling the clout of their spending power already and it is estimated that millennials in the UAE will generate $40,000 average annual gross income by 2019 with almost half of them booking travel through mobile devices.
Travel apps have become their preferred method of interacting with brands, almost a third more than past generations.
Travelport says mobile applications are ideal platforms to create personalized offers. For airlines, the key can be the travel behavior already known to the airline through past purchases tied to the user’s booking account.
In the Middle East, airlines such as Etihad have launched successful travel apps which deliver digital travel solutions for their travellers. Low cost carriers strengthening expansions in the Gulf such as India’s largest airline, IndiGo, also provide strong mobile retailing examples.
Research indicates low cost carriers have high growth opportunities in the Middle East. With rising business and tourism stemming from the Gulf, carriers such as IndiGo have recently launched new routes in the UAE and have been key adaptors of innovative technology to reach new travelers in the region.
Speaking ahead of ATM, Rabih Saab, Travelport’s president & managing director for Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia said: “Travel tech is an exciting place to be right now. We are increasingly living in an experiential world. Mobile penetration in the Middle East is astronomical, across the GCC almost 80% of the population are mobile subscribers.
Smart travel brands will continue to look at how mobile can help bridge the gap between generic experiences and ones where the end-traveller feels truly engaged and supported. Brands will thrive or decline depending on the experiences delivered to travelers and how relevant and personalized these experiences are.”
ATM visitors can experience Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform at Sheikh Saeed Hall 1 – Stand TT1520 .
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