Dubai – Mubasher: The UAE’s online travel sales are expected to register AED 17.3 billion ($1.98 billion) in 2018 due to the growth in population and the flourishing of tourism in the GCC country, according to a report released by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).
Direct online sales’ value is expected to record AED9 billion last year, while online sales from intermediary companies registered AED8.3 billion during the same period.
“Online travel sales through intermediary companies recorded a compound annual growth rate, CAGR, of 26.1% between 2013 and 2018, compared to 12.5% CAGR for direct travel online sales over the same period,” the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported, citing the report.
In 2018, online mobile travel sales in the UAE is projected to hit AED 2.9 billion, while the value of leisure tourism transactions is expected to reach AED 4.3 billion.
“Online travel agencies (OTAs) have emerged as online alternatives to the traditional channels through which hotels and airline companies offer their products to customers,” the report found.
