The Travel Industry’s Most Recovered Country in the World: the United Arab Emirates

The UAE’s travel industry has reached 110% recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks in part to the country’s successful vaccination program, nearly guaranteed sunshine for holiday makers, and the government’s impressive event calendar, including EXPO, the Dubai World Cup, and more

• The global travel industry has recovered more than two-thirds of its gross activity (67%) when compared against 2019, a 14% increase from the recovery level at the end of 2021.
• The UAE has recovered to 110% of its 2019 levels, making it the most recovered country in the world.
• Specifically, Dubai has recovered to 114%, making it the second most recovered city in the Middle East and the fifth most recovered city globally.
• Dubai is currently outpacing London as the top global destination for business travel, as corporate travelers make up nearly one third of all 2022 bookings to Dubai (29%).

LANGLEY UK, 6 April, 2022 – Travelport, a global technology company that powers travel bookings for hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels worldwide, today released the below trend data highlighting that the United Arab Emirates has recovered to 110% of its 2019 levels, based on point of destination travel. This makes the UAE currently the most recovered country in the world. Contributing to the UAE’s strong recovery is Dubai, which has currently recovered to 114% of its 2019 levels. This makes it the second most recovered city in the Middle East and the fifth most recovered city in the world. Dubai is also currently ranked as the top global destination for corporate travelers, who currently make up nearly one-third (29%) of all 2022 bookings to the city.

Global Recovery Update

• To date, the global travel industry has recovered more than two-thirds (67%) of its gross activity, a 14% growth in the first three months of 2022 alone.
• At 110% recovered, the UAE is currently the most recovered country in the world.
• Dubai (114%) is the second most recovered city in the Middle East, following Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (115%).
• Dubai is also the fifth most recovered city in the world:
  • Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (136%)
  • Montego Bay, Jamaica (132%)
  • Cancun, Mexico (124%).
  • Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (115%)
  • Dubai, UAE (114%)

United Arab Emirates Travel Trends

• The top nine countries traveling to the UAE are:
  • The United Kingdom
  • Bangladesh
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • Germany
  • Saudi Arabia
  • France
  • United States
  • Italy
• The top nine international destinations for travelers from the UAE are:
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • The Philippines
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Bangladesh
  • China
  • Egypt
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
• Corporate travelers are returning in high volumes to Dubai, making up nearly one-third (29%) of all 2022 bookings to date.
• Dubai is the top business travel destination in the world, currently outpacing London which ranked number one for corporate travel in 2019.
• Dubai’s appeal to corporate travel could be a result of successful destination events such as EXPO 2020 Dubai and The Dubai World Cup, in addition to the UAE being the most vaccinated country in the world*.
• The top nine countries heading to the UAE for business travel are:
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • Bangladesh
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Kingdom
  • Sri Lanka
  • Egypt
  • The United States
  • Germany

For more trend data or travel insights, please contact Travelport’s PR team at press@travelport.com.

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About Travelport

Travelport is a global technology company that powers bookings for hundreds of thousands of travel suppliers worldwide. Buyers and sellers of travel are connected by the company’s next generation marketplace, Travelport+, which simplifies how brands connect, upgrades how travel is sold, and enables modern digital retailing. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom and operating in more than 180 countries around the world, Travelport is focused on driving innovation that simplifies the complex travel ecosystem.