Riyadh, London, New York, San Francisco and Mumbai are key destinations for UAE corporate travellers - with conferences and trade shows accounting for a significant volume of business trips in addition to other meetings, a report said.

Companies/ organisations do not plan to limit their business travel as they realise the value of face-to-face interaction and to ensure longevity of business relationships, according to findings from Musafir.com, a leading online travel agency.

On average SMEs in the UAE spent an approx. AED250,000 ($68,050) annually (2019) on business travel. Musafir.com estimates travel demand to grow in 2022, bouncing back to 80% of pre-pandemic levels.

The findings reveal that businesses are taking a conservative approach by increasing the frequency of travel and limiting the stay per trip to an average 1 - 3 days - should there be any unforeseen circumstances.

Data also highlights that the UAE and KSA are seeing a rise in corporate travellers from India, France, USA, Egypt, Pakistan, Germany, UK, Russia and China.

In addition, requests for clean and hygienic 4 / 5 star- hotels that provide PCR testing services have soared.

“International tourism will recover as we see coordinated responses among countries, safety and hygiene protocols put in place, etc. that will help restore confidence not just in leisure but also in corporate travel,” said Sachin Gadoya, Co-founder. “We are also seeing various technology trends driving corporate travel to offer a seamless and automated experience and great cost-savings.”

The travel sector generates more than 10% of global GDP and nearly 12% of the world's employment. Musafir.com is also identifying gaps in the travel ecosystem and are using their expertise in travel technology to work out an expense management tool that will be effective for corporations to save in unprecedented times.

Musafir.com recently enhanced its online booking platform, leveraging the latest advanced technology to offer a seamless experience to its customers and partners. Its technology platform gives organisations significant savings of up to 20 percent. The company also aims to expand its presence to 4 geographical locations by 2022 to meet growing travel demand. – TradeArabia News Service

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