Expedia announces main outbound destinations for UAE travelers

Expedia.com, a full-service online travel site, recently announced the top 20 most popular travel destinations for travelers leaving the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The listed destinations are based on the booking information from Expedia. 

The list included: Cairo in first place; Amman, Jordan, in second; and Beirut in third place. These destinations were followed by: London; Istanbul; Bangkok; Doha, Qatar; Manila, Philippines; New York City; Toronto; Manama, Bahrain; Muscat, Oman; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Paris; Male in the Maldives; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Mumbai, India; Kuwait City; and Washington DC.

"Expedia outbound passenger data examining the most popular destinations for UAE residents found that three [Middle East and North Africa] cities topped the poll,” Eman Barhoumeh, Expedia director of e-commerce, said. “In terms of international destinations, London is ranked in fourth place, illustrating its enduring popularity within the Middle East, ahead of New York in ninth place; and Paris ranked at 15.”

The analysts estimate that Cairo, Beirut, and Amman will continue to be the most popular destinations in June and July this year. They expect New York and London to grow more popular over the coming months.

"Furthermore, Cairo experienced the most substantial growth with over a 70 percent increase in bookings in 2014 in comparison to 2013, closely followed by Riyadh,” Barhoumeh said. “We also witnessed a sizable increase in flights to Colombo with over 55 percent, followed by Beirut and Kuwait City at 45 percent and 40 percent respectively.”