Rabat – Morocco has landed among top destinations for Saudi travelers, reports the Riyadh-based travel agency Almosafer.
Almosafer’s survey found that over 80% of Saudi respondents have made plans to participate in international travel within the first six months of border reopening. While domestic tourism has grown in popularity in the past year, Saudi travelers are now leading new emerging trends that are changing the landscape of international travel.
Within the context of international travel, data from Almosafer suggests that soon-to-be travellers are changing their travel habits to include previously underrepresented destinations, such as Ukraine and Morocco. This is due to Saudi travellers increasingly prioritizing quarantine-free travel.
But the emerging trend may be subject to change, given Morocco’s recent decision to include Saudi Arabia on its list of countries from which travelers will have to quarantine upon arrival.
Read also: Morocco’s National Tourism Office Launches New Campaign
“Based on the initial results we’ve seen through Almosafer’s booking and searches during the last month, we feel very optimistic about the future of the travel sector in KSA,” said Muzzammil Ahussain, Executive Vice President of Almosafer.
“Due to the various travel restrictions in place worldwide, it was interesting to see the changes in the top 20 destinations mix which saw a few new emerging destinations that weren’t on Saudi nationals’ travel lists before such as Greece, Bosnia and Albania,” he added.
As far as international destinations go, other popular options for Saudi travellers include the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Egypt. Beside Morocco and Ukraine,the Maldives was another notable emerging destination, especially among couples and families.
The study also showed that Saudi travelers are pivoting towards travel in smaller groups or even pairs, preferring shorter trips with greater comfort. Data shows that Saudis are spending approximately 5% more per-booking, as well as a 16% increase in business class travel, and a 14% increase in first class bookings.
