Travel search activity in MENA spikes during Ramadhan

Source: Think with Google.

The Think with Google site has observed changes in travel behaviour in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during Ramadhan. The marketing platform observes that search activity for flights and hotels rose significantly during Ramadhan in 2015, particularly in the second half of Ramadhan and immediately after.

"The combination of more free time and a celebratory atmosphere means that time spent online and consumer spending are higher during Ramadhan than any other period - and the opportunities for brands within the realm of travel are huge," Think with Google said in an industry perspective.

Marketers and brands should take advantage of this trend to gain some of a US$80 billion Middle East travel market, where 25% of customers book hotels and flights online*, Think with Google says, pointing to the Ramadhan promotions and digital campaigns from brands such as Emirates NBD, Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways. 

Last year, Makkah, Saudi Arabia was the No. 1 destination searched in Abu Dhabi, and No. 3 in Dubai. Meanwhile, the top search spot during Ramadhan for Dubai, which has a population comprising of nearly 88% expatriates, is Bangkok, Thailand.

Think with Google also suggests designing promotions around mobile, noting that 43% of millennials check their smartphones every five minutes in MENA, and searches on mobile represented more than 60% of total queries in Ramadhan 2015. In Saudi Arabia, the largest market in MENA, more than 90% of queries for regional travel suppliers such as Nas Air and Saudia were on mobile.

Interested?

Read the TechTrade Asia blog posts about mobile behaviour from ABI Research, Akamai and MasterCard

*MENA Travel Book