Wego, the Middle East and North Africa’s leading online travel marketplace and top-ranked travel app for flight searches and bookings, has unveiled its latest destination trends, analyzing travel patterns from the first four months of 2025.
Using insights drawn from tens of millions of flight and hotel searches on its platform, Wego revealed that Egypt and Saudi Arabia continue to dominate as the most popular travel destinations among Middle East travellers — a trend that has held strong for over a decade. India takes the third spot, further cementing its appeal in the region.
Top travel destinations
“Egypt and Saudi Arabia have consistently held leading positions on our platform, a reflection of their strong outbound and domestic travel appetite, well-established tourism infrastructure, and year-round demand,” said Mamoun Hmidan, Chief Business Officer at Wego.
“India, securing third place, underscores the influence of its vast and growing diaspora, especially within the Middle East.”
India’s position has been bolstered by a series of recent airline developments. IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, launched three new routes to Abu Dhabi, while Akasa Air introduced two more. Royal Jordanian also announced plans to start flights to both Delhi and Mumbai.
Pakistan and Syria see strong momentum
Following last year’s upward trend, Pakistan continues to climb the rankings, aided by the success of the ‘Salam Pakistan’ campaign, a stable economic climate, and the growth of online booking platforms. Q1 alone saw the launch of new direct flights to Karachi by flynas, flyadeal, and AirAsia X, while Fly Jinnah began international operations in 2024.
Syria, meanwhile, made the most dramatic jump — climbing 30 spots to enter the top 10. The reopening of international flights from Damascus in January and Aleppo in March sparked a surge in travel interest. Qatar Airways reported a 90% seat occupancy rate on its Doha-Damascus route, and in April, direct flights to the UAE resumed. Wego expects Syria to rise even further through the rest of 2025.
US travel interest declines
Wego also spotlighted travel to the United States, which has traditionally been a top destination for Middle Eastern travelers. However, travel interest to the US has declined significantly since late 2023, impacted by tightened visa regulations and border policies.
From a peak of 32% year-on-year growth in November 2024, US-bound search interest has steadily declined, dipping into negative territory by mid-February 2025. As of the latest data, search interest is down 9% year-on-year.
Among US cities, Los Angeles saw the sharpest decline — a 26% drop in search traffic — due to wildfires in Southern California earlier this year. However, interest is slowly recovering. Miami has been the notable exception, showing a year-on-year increase and maintaining strong interest through the winter months.
European shifts: UK slips, Italy rises
The UK remains the most popular European destination for Middle Eastern travelers, holding the top spot for 10 of the last 11 years. However, it lost six places in Wego’s overall global rankings compared to 2023. The introduction of the UK’s Air Passenger Duty in 2024, which increased the cost of an economy ticket to the Middle East by £87 (USD 115), may have contributed to the decline.
Meanwhile, Italy continues to climb the European rankings, overtaking Azerbaijan for the second spot. The two have traded places seasonally in recent years, with Italy typically stronger in Q1 and Q4.
Several Eastern European countries lost ground to their Western counterparts. Georgia fell two places, overtaken by Germany and France, while Bosnia & Herzegovina dropped out of the top 10, making way for the Netherlands.
Asia Pacific
Thailand held onto its top spot among Asia Pacific destinations for the fourth year in a row, driven by a sharp rise in visitors from Saudi Arabia. Key contributing factors include streamlined visa policies allowing stays up to 60 days, faster entry procedures, and increased marketing by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The Philippines and Indonesia once again swapped places in the top 10, but otherwise, the Asia Pacific rankings remained largely unchanged. Direct flights from Saudi Arabia to Phuket by Saudi Airlines also helped boost Thailand’s appeal.
Long-term travel trends
Looking at travel data from 2014 to 2025, Wego observed a broader trend of Middle Eastern travelers favoring regional destinations over long-haul ones. This shift is driven by better regional connectivity, easier visa procedures, and simpler border policies. In contrast, Western countries have increasingly introduced stricter regulations and higher fees, potentially dampening travel demand.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
