Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
A third of UAE vacationers plan to take three or more trips this year, according to a recent YouGov survey on UAE travel trends for 2025.
Switzerland emerged as the most popular international destination, with 23% of UAE residents intending to visit - a figure that rises for travelers aged 35-49 (25%) and 50+ (26%).
Following Switzerland, the top destinations for UAE travellers included Saudi Arabia, the Maldives, Japan and Singapore, all ranking as preferred locations for over 18% of respondents.
When it came to the types of trips UAE residents planned to take, international holidays were top of the list, with 82% of respondents intending to travel abroad.
Forty-nine percent of respondents were planning domestic holidays within the UAE, 19% were planning international business trips and 15% were preparing for domestic business travel.
The survey further revealed that 24% of travellers intended to take just one trip, while 37% expected to take two trips, 18% were planning three trips and 8% were aiming for four or more.
Its findings also indicated a growing reliance on AI-powered travel experiences. Seventy-seven percent of vacation bookers found AI recommendations "helpful", signalling a clear demand for personalised and efficient booking services.
In terms of booking habits, UAE vacationers were almost equally split between booking flights and accommodation separately (48%) and choosing vacation packages (45%).
Booking.com led the list of the most popular booking platforms based on customer satisfaction followed by Trivago, Expedia, Wego and MakeMyTrip.
When it came to booking responsibilities, more than half of UAE residents (56%) reported being the primary person responsible for planning and organising trips.
Seventy-six percent of these primary bookers were male, and nearly half (47%) were between the ages of 18 and 34.
Early booking trends were also evident, with 37% of UAE travellers making their bookings over three months in advance, while only 18% waited until the last month before making their travel arrangements.
Despite the strong appetite for travel, the survey revealed that 69% of respondents reported feeling stressed during at least one part of the booking process.
Selecting luggage allowance was listed as the most stressful activity (47%), followed by booking rental cars (37%) and securing accommodation (36%).
