The United Arab Emirates has succeeded in boosting the length of time that travellers stay in the country using longer layovers and connections between Europe and America with Asian destinations. The fastest growing group is now those staying between six to eight nights, according to ForwardKeys which predicts future travel patterns by analysing 16 million booking transactions a day.

Although short stays – one to three nights – represented 67% of arrivals during the last 12 months, stays longer than three nights grew more quickly.

Details of the ForwardKeys analysis will be presented at the influential 13th Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) in Dubai April 25 to 27, organised by Bench Global Business Events.

The figures – partly fuelled by the 96-hour visa for any airline traveller in Dubai – will be seen as good news by industry leaders gathering at AHIC, which each year hosts more than 700 of the most powerful people in the hospitality sector.

PRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The BenchPRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The Bench
PRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The Bench

Olivier Jager, CEO, ForwardKeys, said: "These findings show significant progress in the UAE's attractiveness as a destination and further potential advancement for the UAE economy. I'm sure the details will fuel interesting discussions at AHIC."

Bench events Chairman Jonathan Worsley, said: "News of this trend will also be welcomed by delegates at another of our upcoming events in the UAE, the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF). The hospitality sector in the UAE is closely linked with airline activity, so these figures, revealing longer stays, will mean more revenue for hotels and restaurants located there."

The ForwardKeys data shows that overall bookings for short stays – one to three nights – are currently running ahead of last year for April and May while June is lagging behind because of the quieter Ramadan period. Forward bookings from the UK, France and Indonesia remain strong.

PRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The BenchPRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The Bench
PRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The Bench

The UK, USA, and Kuwait all contributed to the growth of both short-stay and long-stay travellers to the UAE. Chinese arrivals for long-stays boomed when the free-of-charge, visa-on-arrival was introduced for them in November 2016. The Chinese also flocked to the UAE for their New Year 2017.

PRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The BenchPRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The Bench
PRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The Bench

Looking ahead, bookings for long stays in Dubai are currently more than 28% ahead of last year, driven by European and US travellers planning Easter and Spring holidays. Russians will also be arriving in increasing numbers, not only for the Easter weekend, but also in late April and early May for Spring holiday, Labour Day and Victory Day. Saudi Arabia also contributes to the Easter booking surge – possibly due to expats living there taking a break in the UAE.

PRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The BenchPRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The Bench
PRESS RELEASE: Visitors linger longer in UAE— Source: The Bench

About ForwardKeys
ForwardKeys predicts future travel patterns by crunching and analysing 16m booking transactions a day. It is used by travel marketers, retailers, hotels, destination marketing organisations (DMOs), financial institutions, car rental companies, tour operators, online travel agents (OTAs), and other traveller-focussed businesses worldwide to monitor and anticipate traveller arrivals and stay ahead of the trends from a particular origin market at a specific time. The analysis enables them to anticipate the impact of events, better manage their staffing levels, fine tune supply requirements, adjust and measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and predict future market trends. ForwardKeys' data is retrieved daily from all the major global reservation systems worldwide.

About The Bench

The Benchhas established a legacy for delivering world-leading investment forums and conferences in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The key principle behind these platforms has remained "dealmaking'. Transforming the way business connect, Bench has developed a reputation for creating innovative and high-impact meeting spaces for the industry.

For over two decades - government leaders, tourism ministries, global travel & tourism associations, the world's most influential hospitality brands, hotel owners & investors, renowned restaurant groups, airlines & aviation authorities, destination developers, asset managers, financial groups and consultants – have been participating in The Bench's events for their respective objectives. These include AHIC, AHIF, GRIF, FHS, AHF, IDEEA, AviaDev and RENEW –where industry players showcase their brands, position themselves as thought leaders or innovators, and connect with the right opportunities and knowledge.

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About FHS World

Dates: 30 September – 2 October 2024

Location: Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE

Sponsors: Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts as Host Sponsor; Italia Hospitality and SMIT Morocco as Country Pavilion Sponsors; Hilton, NEOM, Radisson Hotel Group and Taiba Investments as Platinum Sponsors; Accor, Club Med, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Minor Hotels and Rotana as Emerald Sponsors; Aleph Hospitality, ARC, Adyen, Barriere, CBRE, ELAF, HVS, IHCL, JLL, JT & Partners, Knight Frank, Leva, Louvre Hotels Group, QUO, Rikas, Rove Hotels, The Ascott Limited, United Hospitality Management and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as Gold Sponsors; Aldar, EHL, H World International, STR and Time Hotels as Silver Sponsors; SOHO Hospitality as GRIF Gold Sponsor, Foresite Creative as GRIF Data Partner; Lock Stock & Barrel as After Party Host; HAMA, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Sustainable Hospitality Challenge, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management and UN Tourism as Supporters.

Mala Patel
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The Bench