How are travelers warming up to winter in the Middle East and North Africa?

MiddleEast-Africa

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Business Travel Sees the Highest Surge

As winter approaches, the Middle East is experiencing a strong boost in hotel bookings across diverse travel segments. Business travel leads with a 25% Y-o-Y growth, showcasing the region’s appeal for corporate events and networking opportunities in hubs like Dubai and Riyadh. Family leisure travel follows with a 22% increase. Meanwhile, non-family leisure travel has grown by 13%, appealing to solo travelers, friends, and couples drawn to winter festivals, shopping, and coastal escapes.

UAE Leads in Demand

Winter travel in the Middle East is booming, with hotel booking data from World on Holiday spotlighting top destinations like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco. Each destination offers unique winter experiences, appealing to a range of travelers.

The UAE leads with high demand, as Dubai’s shopping festivals and Abu Dhabi’s cultural attractions draw international visitors. Saudi Arabia follows closely, fueled by Riyadh Season’s entertainment lineup, which boosts its appeal as a tourism hub.

Turkey and Egypt see steady growth, as their mild winter climate makes exploring Istanbul’s history or the Pyramids more comfortable. Morocco and Qatar are popular for luxury and culture, while Georgia and Azerbaijan attract visitors seeking winter sports and scenic landscapes.

Top Destinations

  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Turkey
  • Egypt
  • Morocco
Source: Adara, a RateGain Company

Georgia Sees the Highest Surge in Demand

Georgia leads with a 136% y-o-y rise in hotel bookings, thanks to its popular skiing spots in the Caucasus Mountains and cultural attractions in Tbilisi. Tunisia follows at 130%, appealing with its Mediterranean climate and rich history, while Azerbaijan (128%) draws winter travelers to Baku and mountain resorts. Morocco (127%) remains a favorite for its vibrant cities and scenic landscapes, and Saudi Arabia (111%) gains traction with events like Riyadh Season. These destinations illustrate the region’s growing appeal for diverse winter experiences.

Get access to all the travel trends from the Middle East and Africa with our latest Winter Travel Trends Report.

About World on Holiday

World on Holiday is a real-time travel insights hub, powered by Adara, sharing important worldwide travel trends, as well as real-time booking and search data. This hub is powered by hundreds of first-party data sources, and are based on observed consumer activity.

For regular updates on the how, who and why of global travel, subscribe to the ‘World on Holiday’.

About Adara

Adara, a RateGain company, is one of the world’s largest data exchanges, providing access to ethically-sourced consumer data. With more than 270 global partners who supply aggregated, comprehensive traveler data, Adara delivers actionable insights and predictive intelligence to drive higher marketing ROI. For more information, visit https://adara.com/

About RateGain

RateGain is a global provider of SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality that works with 2800+ customers—including the Top 23 of 30 Hotel Chains, the Top 25 of 30 Online Travel Agents, and all the top car rentals including 8 Global Fortune 500 companies—and 700+ partners in 100+ countries helping them accelerate revenue generation through acquisition, retention, and wallet share expansion.

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