UAE: ‘Resilient’ Tourism Sector Booming in Face of Global Cost of Living Crisis
The global cost of living crisis has failed to dent surging demand for inbound travel to Dubai and the rest of the Emirates, industry experts said. Tourism and hospitality leaders said the sector was exceeding expectations during challenging times. They told of travellers embracing luxury and staying for longer, as a renewed thirst for tourism in the post-pandemic world shows little sign of slowing.
Such enthusiasm was on full display as thousands flocked to the opening day of the landmark 30th Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Monday. Early projections from organisers suggested there would be up to 34,000 visitors over the course of the four-day event, which has a theme of cutting carbon emissions.
Booking.com’s data also showed people were not prepared to compromise on other aspects of their travel either. Among the findings of the study was that 90 per cent of people in the UAE plan to travel more sustainably, over the course of the next 12 months.
It also found that more than half of respondents in the UAE (56 per cent) believed sustainable travel to currently be too expensive. However, a similar number (54 per cent) said they would be happy to pay more to travel sustainably. The same survey said the majority of UAE travellers (71 per cent) turn off the air-conditioning in accommodation when they go out, and that 46 per cent reuse the same towel multiple times. More than 33,000 people took part in the survey across 35 countries. Other experts at the event agreed that tourism and travel were in rude health right now.
One market that is having a keen impact on tourism in the UAE is those coming from Russia. Only last month, it was reported how the Russian market had recently gained a significant presence on Dubai’s property scene. This had played a significant part in creating a property shortage in the emirate, estate agents said. Another hot topic of discussion on the opening day of the travel conference was the continued demand to combine working remotely with taking a holiday.
