Millions of visitors based in the Gulf and North Africa use Wego to compare over 700 travel sites for flight and hotel options, providing the technology company with a unique, product-neutral insight into user behaviour and interests.
DUBAI – With the internet now the preferred booking platform for an estimated one in six Middle Eastern travellers, the majority of discussion and analysis for many attending the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this year will centre on the profiling and engagement of new regional audiences online.
Exhibitor Wego, now the leading travel metasearch site in the Middle East and Asia Pacific, will be sharing an insider view of this rapidly expanding online travel market with ATM 2013 delegates.
Millions of visitors based in the Gulf and North Africa use Wego to compare over 700 travel sites for flight and hotel options, providing the technology company with a unique, product-neutral insight into user behaviour and interests.
“While markets may vary economically, Wego has identified common online search and booking characteristics within this region which are quite different to other locations,” explained Mohamad Ibrahim Masri, Managing Director for Wego Middle East & North Africa.
The region’s users are young (between 25 and 35 years old), a third are female and most hold a professional or managerial position powered by internet-enabled devices. Travel plans tending to be for family groups are decided jointly, with an enormous appetite shown for new and alternative destinations to the regular hotspots, on the most part for leisure travel.
- 32 per cent female
- 46 per cent making joint purchasing decisions with partners
- 40 per cent 25-35 years old
- 57 per cent in households of over 5 people
- 32 per cent accessing Wego from a mobile device
- 3,500 different destinations explored online for flights and hotels
Sources: Wego, Google Analytics and Effective Measure – March 2013
“Middle Eastern travellers expect travel information instantly and like to share their plans, especially when they involve new and trending destinations,” added Masri. “This is reflected by the solid numbers who use mobile devices to access travel content, a figure growing across all the 11 markets analysed by Wego,” he said.
In the region as a whole Wego sites including wego.ae are witnessing significant quarter on quarter increases in the volume and engagement of users.
“Expectations of online products are changing too,” Masri shared. “Travellers in this region want to compare brands they’re aware of with those less familiar and select suppliers on their individual merits, not be driven down a single booking path.”
Masri will be joined at the Arabian Travel Market by Wego’s Chief Flights Officer Dean Wicks, VP for Hotels Geraldine Lim and Account Manager, Jenny Yoon.
“We’re thrilled to be exhibiting at this year’s ATM and sharing our experience and knowledge of our markets with attendees,” concluded Masri. “Wego sees so many new opportunities throughout the region and globally, and we look forward to discussing more of the potential online with all suppliers at ATM. There’s a great deal to discuss!”
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