A new travel survey commissioned by Visa reveals the habits of the United Arab Emirates travellers.

Visa surveyed more than 500 adults in three markets in the lead up to Eid – the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and covered topics such as frequency of travel, preferred destinations and trip types, as well as the spending habits of UAE travellers whilst on holiday.

The results of the survey showed that UAE residents take an average of one to two leisure trips a year, with 20% of those surveyed stating that they took more than five holidays outside the country each year.

In terms of the frequency of holidays taken, almost 50% of respondents claimed that there was no change in the travel habits in the past 18 months, with almost a quarter stating that their holidays had actually increased despite the recent economic downturn.

83% of people surveyed in the UAE said that they did not plan on taking fewer holidays this year, although 51% of those surveyed said that they were planning on spending less on their next holiday.
 
With the Eid holiday proving a popular time for a quick getaway for many UAE residents, the survey provides some interesting insights into the leisure travel habits of residents within the UAE. It is clear from the survey that leisure travel is something that UAE residents are not willing to compromise on, even in light of the recent economic downturn.

Given these insights, Visa will continue to tailor offers and promotions to suit the needs of UAE cardholders; our Hotel Club and Global Hotel Offers are a good example of how we can drive value to our cardholders to meet travel and leisure needs, said Maysara Ghadban Traboulsi, Visas Head of Marketing Communications for MENA.
 
Visiting family was the top preference for UAE travellers, followed by resort or beach holidays. India, Turkey, Malaysia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom were cited as the top five holiday destinations for UAE travellers. Turkey was also a preferred destination for those travelling from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

UAE travellers were more inclined to use credit cards when planning a holiday, with 60% stating that they prefer to use credit cards when making hotel reservations, and 56% when purchasing airline tickets.

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