The countries that have seen the greatest growth in flight bookings from travellers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in the last 12 months are Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Turkey, according to analysis conducted by Travelport. From April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, bookings made in the KSA through all global distribution systems (GDS) to Egypt increased by nearly 190,000, up 17 per cent on the previous 12 months. Bookings to the UAE rose by over 70,000, up 13 per cent, and to Turkey by just over 65,000, up 31 per cent.
Matthew Powell, Managing Director – Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Travelport said, “Growth in flight bookings tends to be driven by increased airline capacity, rises in demand from leisure travellers, economic and political advances, which attract more interest in trade and investment, and major construction projects that require large international labour forces. The results we’re seeing here cut across all of these.”
Travelport will participate in the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai for the 10th consecutive year. Its stand will include demo pods that allow visitors to experience how the company helps travel agents and airlines drive revenue by delivering intelligence through analytics tools like Travelport Business Insights and Travelport Competitive Insights.