In the third quarter of 2025, the demand for business travel in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region experienced a remarkable increase of 30 percent.
This upswing was attributed to an active booking period in September, which compensated for earlier disruptions across the region, as revealed in a report published on Thursday by Tumodo, an online business travel service based in the UAE.
The quarter initially reflected an “unforeseen trend” due to political unrest, leading to numerous trip cancellations and some airport shutdowns. However, September proved to be the busiest month for bookings, correlating with the conclusion of the holiday season and signs of recovery following the crisis.
The findings of the report support the robust growth trajectory of the region, with projections indicating a year-on-year increase of 6.1 percent into 2025.
The overall MENA market, which was valued at $18.1 billion in 2024, is anticipated to reach $270.8 billion by 2030, exceeding global growth rates.
Key Destinations and Travel Trends
Saudi Arabia (20 percent) and the UAE (15 percent) maintained their status as the primary centers for business travel in the region during Q3, promoting market expansion despite various external hurdles. They were followed by Egypt, Qatar, and emerging destinations such as Morocco, Bahrain, and Oman.
The most frequently booked travel routes for the quarter included connections between Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, Dubai and Riyadh, as well as London and Dubai.
Data from Tumodo indicated a trend towards shorter business trips throughout the region.
Trips lasting one to two days constituted 9 percent and 7 percent of the total bookings, respectively, indicating a preference for brief travels.
Meanwhile, longer stays remained stable, with seven-day trips making up 4 percent of total bookings. This trend reflects a range of business needs, from short regional meetings to extensive project consultations for major initiatives such as NEOM.
Travel Costs and Airlines
In the third quarter, the average cost of hotel bookings reached $169, marking an increase as the vacation season ended. Additionally, air travel bookings averaged $499.9.
Emirates emerged as the favored airline, capturing 20.75 percent of traveler preferences, followed by Turkish Airlines (10.41 percent), Flydubai (4.58 percent), Qatar Airways (3.15 percent), and Air France (2.72 percent).
Mohanad Nada, the head of GCC at Tumodo, remarked on the findings: “The recovery we saw in Q3, highlighted by a 30 percent increase that exceeded our expectations, showcases the resilience of the MENA business travel sector and its capacity to adapt while continuing to grow.”
The outlook for the broader market remains promising, with inbound travel to MENA expected to grow by 13 percent annually through 2030.
Moreover, expenditure on business travel is anticipated to accelerate at a rate 1.5 times quicker than the global average.
Read: Middle East travel spending projected to increase by 50% by 2030: report