Nearly 84 percent of consumers in the Kingdom are set to travel for leisure in the coming months, according to the latest findings of a MasterCard survey. The survey also shows that 74 percent of consumers in Saudi Arabia are likely to travel the same or more in the second half of 2011 as compared to the previous year. “Saudi Arabia continues to enjoy an upbeat consumer outlook and the travel trends for Saudi consumers mirror this positivity. In fact, of all consumers in the Middle East, Saudi consumers emerge as the strongest contenders for leisure travel in the coming months. It is also interesting to note that this leisure travel is heavily skewed towards the Middle East, suggesting a robust interest in customized offerings within the region's travel and hospitality sectors,” said Raghu Malhotra, general manager, Middle East, MasterCard Worldwide. Consumers in Saudi Arabia are most likely to travel within Middle East and Africa in the coming months, with 68 percent of the respondents aiming to travel to these markets. This is followed by Asia Pacific countries (22 percent) and Europe (8 percent) as the next most popular destinations. While Saudi consumers (84 percent) top the list of Middle East consumers aiming to travel for leisure in the coming months, they are followed by consumers in Kuwait (83 percent), Qatar (80 percent), Egypt (78 percent), UAE (70 percent), Oman (60 percent) and Lebanon (59 percent). Within the Middle East countries, three broad trends are seen to emerge with regard to top destinations for leisure travel. For UAE (63 percent) and Oman (64 percent), Asia-Pacific emerged as the region attracting most consumers for leisure. For KSA (68 percent), Egypt (5 percent), and Kuwait (66 percent) the Middle East and Africa was the most attractive destination. And in Lebanon (38 percent) consumers ranked Europe as their most preferred leisure destination. In terms of specific destination countries, Egypt led the pack with 25 percent of respondents in Saudi Arabia aiming to travel there in the coming months. The UAE (17 percent) also scored high in terms of travel preferences for consumers in the Kingdom. With respect to inbound travel, the Kingdom continued to be a popular destination of choice for GCC consumers, especially for the purpose of religious pilgrimages. In Kuwait, of those inclined to travel internationally, 16 percent are likely to travel to the Kingdom. This is followed by Oman (8 percent), Lebanon (7 percent) and the UAE (7 percent). Among other trends in leisure travel, Saudi consumers are most interested in traveling for relaxation purposes (40 percent), followed by sightseeing (21 percent) and spending time with their families (19 percent). In addition, 69 percent of these consumers prefer to travel with their families when on vacation, while 25 percent would like to travel with friends and 6 percent would choose to travel alone. These figures vary by gender: a greater number of women (99 percent) prefer to travel with their families compared to men (58 percent). Moreover, the study shows that 80 percent of consumers in Saudi Arabia said they save throughout the year to fund their holidays; whereas 12 percent use their bonus or increment. Cash emerged as the most popular payment choice for Saudi travelers in relation to accommodation (79 percent), transportation (77 percent) and expenses under $ 100 (56 percent).
