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Holidaymakers in the UAE expect another strong year for tourism despite economic uncertainty, but price-led decisions will drive change in 2023, global travel website Skyscanner said in a new report.
With 88% of UAE travelers planning to spend the same or more on overseas travel in the next year, how they spend will be different. Skyscanner’s detailed Travel Trends 2023 report reveals the extent of these changes.
Key trends drawn from the report show that UAE travelers don’t want their holidays to stop on Monday mornings, but want to work in a place where they can also vacation. Emirati travelers also crave nature- and well-being-based experiences. A way to reset and feel normal again. Expect friends to ditch each other for solo adventures, sneaky smartphone travel searches at the workplace and vacationers grappling with a cost-of-living crisis to ensure their time remains a priority.
For travel in 2023, we want to do a lot of different things and have some bold expectations for future travel. Looking to the future, nearly a third of people want vacations in starspace to become a mainstream reality in their lifetime, and closer to home, advances in hypersonic technology could redefine excursions.
Naomi Hahn, vice president of strategy, said: “It’s clear we’re more eager than ever to discover new things – even though we may have less money in our pockets next year. The fallout from the pandemic has travelers looking for ways to make up for lost time And create new experiences and memories.
“Consumers are getting more savvy about value post-pandemic – the crunch in personal spending suggests consumers will still prioritize being away from home, but are increasingly shopping on metasearch platforms like Skyscanner and using simple Travel tips to ensure they’re getting value for money, such as being flexible with dates and destinations. This year looks set to be the year of new discoveries as new, pocket-friendly destinations come to the fore.”
Skyscanner commissions in-depth research into consumer attitudes and behaviour, combined with proprietary search and booking insights, to reveal their travel forecasts. Skyscanner’s report, Travel Trends 2023: The Year Price Drives Decisions, analyzed survey data from 2,000 consumers in the UAE and beyond, as well as extensive search and retargeting data, to provide unique insights into travel plans for 2023 and beyond.
Key trends revealed:
• Travel remains a top priority: Today’s consumers want to make better, more informed decisions about their discretionary spending, according to our recent poll: 69% of UAE consumers plan to Taking more vacations next year, a quarter (24%) are considering taking the same amount of vacations. Only 3% plan to take fewer vacations in the next year. The rising cost of living remains an issue, but 39% of people decided to prioritize next year’s vacation over other big-ticket items.
• Spending Shift: 88% of UAE tourists plan to spend the same amount or more traveling abroad in the next year, while only 9% plan to spend less.
• Best value destinations in 2023: Skyscanner can also reveal the destinations with the biggest price drops since pre-pandemic:
1. Santorini, Greece – 56% price drop
2. Vienna, Austria – 45% price drop
3. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – 42% price drop
• Skyscanner’s Top List for 2023: Travelers are increasingly looking for less popular places that offer undiscovered experiences and unlock better value. In fact, Skyscanner’s Everywhere searches are often among the top searches post-pandemic. Check out some of the destinations with the biggest increases in searches:
Family Hot List:
1. Vienna, Austria (146% increase in searches)
2. Los Angeles, USA (110% increase in searches)
3. London, United Kingdom (23% increase in searches)
Hot list of couples:
1. Phuket, Thailand (75% increase in searches)
2. Athens, Greece (34% increase in searches)
3. Glasgow, United Kingdom (54% increase in searches)
• Solo travel is no longer a niche market; 69% of travelers from the UAE are considering a solo holiday in 2023. Beach holidays and pampering holidays are some of their favorite “me time” moments, which may reflect the range of options travelers have if they decide to travel solo and in the local region, from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastline to the mysticism of Oman. Great views and a plethora of beachfront high-end hotels in the UAE.
• Sustainability; Sustainable travel continues to grow considering traveler decisions: Travel-related sustainability is important to four out of five global respondents (81%). For more than a quarter (28%), this is more important than it was before the pandemic. With price-driven decision-making and sustainable travel both top of mind, 15% are considering new alternative travel destinations because they are less expensive to visit.
• Nature comes first; wildlife watching and hiking are the top 5 travel activities for vacation planning, showing that the pandemic’s emphasis on outdoor walks and connecting with the local environment is now turning into an important part of travel planning. Interacting with the environment and viewing animals has mood-elevating properties. Skyscanner recommends being surrounded by green nature and experiencing the meditative effects of Shinrin-yoku, a new wellness trend that literally means “forest bathing” for 2023.
• Works for you (and your wallet): Over a third of surveyed UAE travelers (36%) plan to work while on holiday in the next year, a strategic move mainly because respondents “like to work” and “it means I have more time at my destination. Cross-referencing the long list of countries that now offer digital nomad visas with their cities’ cost of living indices reveals a range of savvy options for 2023. All of these All cheaper than Dubai on the cost of living index, with Skyscanner favorites including Mexico City, Mexico, Zagreb, Croatia and Madrid, Spain.
• Sneaky smartphone searches and the influence of social media; 99% of UAE travelers now use mobile devices to plan or book their next trip, most popularly at home or at work. Friends and family are the number one source of UAE travel inspiration, followed by social media and then celebrities. Instagram is the most FOMO-inducing app — 73% of travelers say they’d be more likely to book a trip if they’d seen it on the platform.
• The future of travel; 2053 will mark the 150th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first airplane flight, and much has changed since then, with travelers anticipating major developments to become mainstream by the time the milestone is reached 30 years from now.
• Advances in supersonic technology could redefine short-distance travel, with 35% of travelers believing it will be the mainstream flying option of the future, according to a Skyscanner report.
• More than a third (34%) believe virtual reality vacations are so real that they are indistinguishable from real life and will become the norm.
• 31% want to vacation in space in their lifetime, board a spacecraft for a day trip to Earth, travel to the edge of space and beyond. – trade arab news agency
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