Egypt topped the list of destinations for Saudi vacationers planning to travel abroad during the coming months, according to a MasterCard survey. The survey results presented at a press conference here on Sunday indicated that 52 percent of Saudi consumers plan to travel to Egypt followed by 29 percent to Syria and 14 percent to the UAE. “Personal travel is an important priority for many consumers in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia, as the MasterCard survey revealed that spending on travel is set to rebound. This rebound coincides with the busy summer travel season and the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr holidays,” said Alhamedi Alanezi, country manager – Saudi Arabia, MasterCard Worldwide. Based on the latest findings of a MasterCard survey more than one in three consumers (36 percent) in the Middle East are looking to pack his or her bags and head off for a vacation in the coming months. This is a rebound in comparison to last year, when only 24 percent of consumers were planning a trip abroad. Egypt, UAE and Saudi Arabia are the most popular destinations for travelers in the Middle East, the survey said. Intra-regional travel continues to be popular among consumers who plan to spend on travel in the Middle East (57 percent), with the majority of them planning trips within the region in the upcoming months. The latest survey involved 10,503 consumers from 24 markets. Saudi Arabia is also among the top five destinations for travelers in Africa. About 22 percent of people surveyed in Africa said Saudi Arabia would be their travel destination this season. Saudi Arabia is ahead of other destinations, such as Canada at 17 percent and Turkey 14 percent. Data collection was done via Internet surveys, personal, telephone and Computer Aided Telephone interviews, with the questionnaire translated to the local language wherever appropriate and necessary. The survey was conducted from March 15 to April 12, 2010. Of the 24 markets surveyed, respondents in Kuwait (71 percent) topped the list of consumers planning trips abroad, followed by Hong Kong (56 percent) and the UAE (52 percent). In the Middle East, apart from those in Kuwait, consumers from the UAE (52 percent), Qatar (34 percent), Saudi Arabia (30 percent), and Egypt (20 percent) are looking forward to holidays abroad. However, only eight percent of Lebanese consumers plan to spend on holidays abroad in the coming months. The top five destinations for travelers in the Middle East include Egypt (as indicated by 28 percent of respondents who plan to spend on travel in the coming months), UAE (21 percent), Saudi Arabia (16 percent), Syria (14 percent) and Lebanon (13 percent). International personal air travel is deemed very important or important to 90 percent of the respondents in the Middle East who plan to spend on travel.
