Amadeus’ latest global report, ‘Shaping
the Future of Travel - Macro trends driving industry growth over the next
decade’, which was unveiled at Arabian Travel Market, shows that the global
travel industry has rebounded rapidly from the 2009 financial crises and is
poised for a period of sustained growth over the next decade, specifically in
the Middle East.
According to the research, overnight
visitor flows are expected to grow at 5.4% per annum over the next decade
worldwide, significantly faster than GDP growth at 3.4 per cent. However, the Middle East and Africa region is
expected to witness even higher growth, at an annual rate of 11.9%, faster than
the 8.4 % growth registered over the previous 10-year period.
Antoine Medawar, Vice President, Amadeus MENA,
said: “It is encouraging to see such a positive forecast for our region. We can
all feel optimistic from the signs of growth in the travel sector across most
countries in the region, which is certain to have a halo effect on overall GDP.”
Written by Oxford economics, the
Amadeus-commissioned report forecasts a 7.6%
growth in outbound travel spend for the Middle East and Africa over the
next ten years, ahead of Europe and the Americas but behind the substantial
17.9% growth in Asia. The Gulf region, due to its geographical position and
growth plans of its main international airlines and hub airports is set to
benefit from this ‘Asian effect’.
Citing figures 2009 - 2013, the report
highlights the 78.6% growth in long-haul transfer passenger numbers through the
Middle East, compared to a rise of 20.1% in Asia, 10% in Europe and 7.7% in
North America.
According to Antoine Medawar, vice
president MENA for Amadeus said the relative scale of growth was very
impressive. “Point to point traffic may be growing, but at the same time, airports
are competing to be regional hubs,” he said.
“Hub airports in the Middle East have profited from their strategic
location between Asia, Africa, and Europe in attracting long-haul transfer
passengers, with Dubai airport leading the pack.”
Other figures in the
report charted the growth of passenger traffic between regions from 2009 to
2013, with Middle East/Africa to Asia Pacific routes up 33.09%.
