The online travel market’s changing fast in the Middle East. Here’s a snapshot of events that shifted the needle for the region in 2013 and predictions for 2014 from our circle of industry experts, all of whom will be speaking at the first WIT Middle East in Dubai, March 26-27.
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Ivan Jakovljevic, Head of Travel, MENA, GoogleThree events in 2013 that shifted the needle for Middle East online travel1. Travel searches continuing strong growth, with an increased share of mobile; Smartphone penetration in MENA markets reaching 70%+ in markets like the UAE and KSA2. Launch of YouTube now covering most of MENA and providing an opportunity to advertisers to leverage the power of online video
3. Strong drive by travel players to develop direct web channel (new Etihad website, new Air Arabia website, new Jumeirah website, Arabic websites for Accor and Marriott etc.)
Three events in 2014 that will shift the needle for Middle East online travel
1. Hotels, airlines start driving strong mobile initiatives to catch up with user behavior and capture the mobile opportunity
2. Increased focus on online video as a means of inspiring travelers and strengthening the advertisers’ brand in the awareness and consideration stage
3. New (local or international) OTAs with strong focus on MENA region launching their operation (Arabic language, currency support, relevant offering, etc)
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Diego J. Lofeudo, Sr. Director of Market Management, Eastern Med, Africa, Middle East and Indian Ocean, Expedia Travel
Three events in 2013 that shifted the needle for Middle East online travel
1. Mobile/Tablet: growing at the speed of light pushing middleman and product owners to adapt to customer needs and requests
2. Arab Spring: changing the historic travel map in the region. UAE and Turkey harvested the change the most
3. Middle East carriers, particularly Qatar, Etihad, Turkish Airlines and Emirates, redesigning the air hub map.
Three events in 2014 that will shift the needle for Middle East online travel
1. Mobile/Tablet + Social Media explosion + Gen Ys = surge of new & out of the ordinary travel companies.
2. Heavy investment in hotel development is back after the crisis
3. APAC travelers discovering Middle East
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Michael van der Ende, Head of OTA, Travelport, Middle East & Africa
Three things that moved the needle for online travel in the Middle East in 2013
1. Increased smartphone penetration and uptake in mobile bookings especially for last minute hotel reservations
2. Explosion of metasearch as an important marketing channel for regional OTAs
3. More banks opening up credit & debit card usage for online transactions
Three things that will move the needle for online travel in the Middle East in 2014
1. Regional growth in hospitality, infrastructure and aviation spurred by Expo 2020 win
2. Expansion of global OTAs into Middle East
3. Demand for ancillary content for online travel agent
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Rui Sequeira, Vice President, Business Development, Farelogix Inc
Three things that moved the needle for online travel in the Middle East in 2013
1. A flurry of online deals for airline tickets, hotel stays etc. from various suppliers
2. Excess seat capacity (acquisition of new aircraft) amongst key airlines resulting in to some good online introductory offers.
3. Emergence of OTAs putting out offers.
Three things that will move the needle for online travel in the Middle East in 2014
1. Mobile & Tablets are going to get even stronger i.e. more penetration.
2. Airline dotcom sites now aggressively offering direct customers more value i.e. bonus miles, mileage accelerator, fare bundles etc.
3. Social media began to play an important role for travel decisions.
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Amer AlHalabi, Regional Manager-MENA, hotelscombined
Three things that moved the needle for online travel in the Middle East in 2013
1. The increase of Internet penetration, high usage of smart phones and tablets, little change in the traditional travel booking and destination as customers are more into search before booking.
2. Airlines are pushing customers to book online which in turn encourages consumers to trust online booking more and explore wider options not only for online but for hotels and other services.
3. The e-commerce market has developed rapidly during the last three years. Travel segment is at the top of e-commerce, the concept of “best deal is online” is being well spread.
Three things that will move the needle for online travel in the Middle East in 2014
1. Convince the customer that online booking is safe and easy through different channels
2. Airline, metasearch and OTA to facilitate the customer experience when booking online by developing their site, booking engine and content
3. Winning customers by offering high standard customer services
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Paul Kenny, Founder & CEO, Cobone.com & Co-founder & CEO, Triperna
Three things that moved the needle for online travel in the Middle East in 2013
1. Expo 2020
2. Many new online travel portals have launched or entered the Middle East
3. … including our own launch of Triperna
Three things that will move the needle for online travel in the Middle East in 2014
1. Mobile revolution. This will become an even more important channel for online travel.
2. Better content – local and Arabic content
3. Better service. payment solutions tailored to local needs that will drive the shift of offline to online.
