Why Dubai is The Best Place To Be

The pandemic is basically over, considering how things are going these days regarding this massive life disturbance that we have been living through for about three years now. The travel industry began booming again, with people being able to move freely in most of the world's parts. A lot of people have started traveling again, and life seems to go back to normal these days.

While some nations have been more affected than others, it appears that the UAE continues to flourish, and it really looks like the pandemic did not hit the country as much as it did with other countries around the world. More and more people are choosing Dubai as a vacay destination this winter, and a lot of wealthy individuals are also choosing the UAE and especially Dubai, in order to buy a property here – a vacay home or simply a second residence. Here are the latest trends in the tourism industry, along with the best reasons to move to Dubai this year.

2023 Tourism: Traveler expectations and industry efforts and perceptions

An important issue that has to be addressed in 2023 regarding the developments that have been taking place in the tourism industry has to do with traveler expectations and the industry efforts and perceptions. Recent broad research from this year addresses these issues as the travel industry returns more potent than before the pandemic. According to the latest reports, Expedia Group's Traveler Value Index 2023 examines the most significant changes taking place within the industry — from the perspective of both consumers and travel professionals — and also offers actionable insights to guide decision-makers in the year ahead.

The travel industry ramps back up

All over the world, travel is ramping back up, and the industry is taking stock of how much this pandemic changed our lives and consumer behavior as well. According to the official reports, covid concerns have become more and more manageable, and new challenges arise that have to be tackled.

It's also been reported the fact that expectations and safety and flexibility are still really high, but people who travel are more interested in inflation and economic uncertainties.

There is a lot to be optimistic about these days, experts say, and they note the following great signs that we are going towards a better future: business and international trips are back, and the pandemic pause has served as a reminder of how important travel is. And not only travel but all the joys that life has to offer and that people take for granted.

"This year's Traveler Value Index research shows the highest levels of industry optimism since 2020," said Ariane Gorin, president of Expedia for Business. "From a boom in both international and business travel to a new focus on traveling for self-care, the trend is clear: people value travel more than ever before and will continue to make time and save money for it."

It was just revealed how the Expedia Group's Traveler Value Index 2023 research talks about the gaps between what people want from travel and what the industry is currently delivering.

People's preferences

Especially in 2021, people started traveling again after the peak of the pandemic had passed. It's predicted that this year, interest in traveling will start growing. According to the official data, about 50% of people are considering travel even more important than before the pandemic. Usually, people learn the importance of a thing once they lose it, and this is what has been happening with travel and other things that we used to take for granted. According to the data, 43% of people plan to increase their travel budget in the coming years, and this is definitely a positive development for the industry. But it is also worth noting the fact that there is a gap between the planned budget increases and the professional travel expectations, as the majority expect consumer spending on travel to increase.

The number of people who are traveling is also on the rise – we now have 80% of people agreeing that they plan to travel this year. According to the same data, the preference for flexible travel options has been increasing at the beginning of the pandemic, and it has not let up since then. The ability to be able to change bookings without a fee or penalty, ranked in the top four values by consumers, shows just how important it is to consumers to be able to adjust their travel plans if this is necessary.

It's also worth noting the fact that as a response to the unpredictable events from the past years, a lot of travel providers are now offering flexible rates and reservation policies to be able to adapt to travelers' needs. Such a move gives people the confidence to book trips. It's really great to note the fact that almost all businesses, about 96%, said they offer refundable services or credits/. Also, 77% are introducing some refundable offerings for the first time because of the pandemic.

It's also worth noting the fact that a lot of travel providers cited refundability and flexible booking options as being important to consumers. More than that, official data shows the fact that providers are underestimating just how important. ​

Some trends are only temporary

The attitudes and behavior of consumers have been changing a lot during the pandemic, and it seems that now, some of the trends are less likely to remain permanently. Businesses and international travel have been strongly affected during the pandemic years, and it's still important to note the fact that since then, borders have opened, and businesses have been drafting new workplace policies. All this will definitely influence a rise in local and international travel as well during 2023.

According to the latest reports, back in July 2022, about half of the consumers said that they are likely to book or have already booked an international trip in the coming year. This is a great development compared to May 2020, when the same thing was stated by about 12% of polled consumers.

Earlier this year, a massive majority said that they were not planning any business travel, but now it seems that one in three people are planning to do so. More than that, it's been revealed that about 85% are looking forward to their next work trip, according to the very official reports.

It's also important to note the fact that the industry, and especially hotel professionals, are optimistic about business travel – here is the data: 70% said that they could expect it to return within two years to the levels that we have seen before the pandemic.

After the vaccines became available all over the world, cleanliness standards became less of a priority than they had been in 2020 and 2021. This is not to say that health and safety are no longer meaningful to travelers, but inflation has now replaced their concern about spreading the virus, especially since the virus is slowing down mostly due to natural immunity.