International arrivals to Africa and the Middle East in Q2 of 2022 were at 33 pc lower than 2019
With much noise on travel recovery around the world, travel data experts at ForwardKeys say they have noticed that after America it is Africa and the Middle East that have started to gain their first taste of recovery.
Compared to 2019, the international arrivals to Africa and the Middle East in Q2 of 2022 were at 33 pc lower, better than the global international outbound average of 45 pc below the 2019 level. ForwardKeys adds that the region is just behind the leading recovery region, which is the Americas that are now 27 pc below the pre-pandemic level. ForwardKeys report adds that there has been a marked improvement in the African and Middle Eastern markets as in 2021, they were 64 pc below the 2019 level.
The report says that after going through the issued tickets for international arrivals in the Middle East in Q2 this year. Of the countries in the Middle East, ForwardKeys says that it was Qatar that was best placed in the recovery rankings as its numbers were 7 pc higher than the pre-pandemic levels. Right after Qatar, closely bunched together were Egypt and the UAE and both of them were also better than the region’s performance of 33 pc below 2019.
The UK is the largest origin market for the Middle East with 12.8 pc market share and its recovery has been rapid as the UK-origin arrivals in the Africa and Middle East region are barely 6 pc below the 2019 level. In terms of recovery in origin markets, the US leads with a growth of 15 pc compared with 2019 and it accounts for 11.3 pc of the total arrivals. FowardKeys experts say that this has paved way for the question on whether this could be the new business opportunity for hoteliers, airlines, and tour operators.
“Looking specifically at Qatar, we see a 76 pc increase for arrivals from the UK, compared with 2019, and remarkably we see a 105 pc increase of arrivals from the US to Qatar compared with 2019. Considering all the challenges the tourism sector has faced recently, this is an encouraging feat for Qatar ahead of the FIFA World Cup in November,” says Olivier Ponti, VP of Insights at ForwardKeys.
The other encouraging news for the region is that Premium cabin shares have increased by 4.3 pc since 2019. It’s the premium cabin classes that are leading the recovery, down by just 14 pc versus pre-pandemic levels. Economy class tickets are 37 pc lower versus 2019 levels.
Also, in the number one position for international arrivals from April to June is the beach resort town of Hurghada, in Egypt with a 17 pc increase in pre-pandemic levels.
Another destination that is not only seeing an increase in arrivals to its nation but also its main airport is Qatari capital Doha.
“This trend was aided by Doha maintaining most air services during the pandemic and Qatar Airways adding more routes from their Doha hub,” says Africa Market Expert at ForwardKeys, Shingai George.
Surprisingly, the ForwardKeys report puts the Abu Dhabi airport ahead of the more renowned and busier DXB airport in Dubai.
“All of this can change in the blink of an eye as we’ve seen last-minute bookings become the norm and bookings soar overnight when travel restrictions are eased. But we are seeing consumer confidence for long-haul flights is up again, with the Americans really kick-starting travel revival around the world now,” adds George.
