Domestic Tourism in the UAE

A loss of over US$4.5 trillion globally, which translates to the Tourism sector’s contribution to global GDP plummeting by 49.1%, is not a small loss to recover from. In the GCC alone, the sector lost up to $60 billion in 2020. As of 2019, domestic tourism in the UAE contributed to 23% of the total tourism sector revenue. 

That the tourism sector is hurting is evident but the gradual relaxation of travel restrictions, vaccination drives, amongst others, are surely and slowly driving the sector’s recovery. Quite like the global trend, in the UAE and GCC region too, this recovery is expected to be driven by domestic travel and tourism. 

 While studies show that 60 percent of travelers could return to flying within one to two months of the pandemic being contained, there is still a huge 40% who would rather put off travel for at least 6 months. This urge to avoid air travel and the flexibility to return home quickly should restrictions change, gives domestic tourism a definite edge. Residents want a location that is familiar for that much-needed break away from home. 

It was encouraging to see that May to October 2020 saw a 107% increase in the number of rooms sold to domestic visitors, reaching 5.68 million. The government, with its new UAE Strategy for Domestic Tourism, looks to double these figures by 2030. This will bring about a greater balance in the domestic and international forms of the sector. For example, the “World’s Coolest Winter” campaign which launched in December of 2020 was the first of many federal campaigns that looked to unify the Emirates towards leveraging as best as possible all the tourism resources available. 

The way I see it, the interest in the domestic tourism market is bound to increase. As travellers increasingly discover the beauty in their own ‘backyards’ they are also going to appreciate the perks that staycations offer in their time-strapped lives. The governments and tourism boards are recognising the potential of this sector, and are only giving it a boost in the right direction.

 With trippal, we make these staycation bookings not just effortless and simple, but also personalized. Taking into consideration travellers' typical preferences and travelling mood, we recommend the best suited hotels to our app users. Within a few clicks the user has the staycation they desire booked! But more importantly, trippal looks to benefit the tourism industry at large. With insights on traveller choices and booking behavior, trippal will collaborate with hotels and tourism boards to co-create personalized offers to augment conversions and maximize revenues.

In conclusion, ‘staycations’ are here to stay. And it’s a great opportunity for the industry now to ensure that the domestic residents’ staycation experiences are personalized and solve their pain points thereby unlocking happiness in their lives. And at trippal, I and the team are singularly focussed to help in any way to drive this recovery in partnership with the industry.