Image: Getty Images/ For illustrative purposes
Business travel demand in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region surged by 30 per cent in Q3 2025.
This recovery was driven by a busy September booking period that offset earlier regional disruptions, according to a report released Thursday by Tumodo, a UAE-based online business travel platform.
The quarter saw an initial “unexpected pattern” due to political volatility, which caused widespread trip cancellations and some airport closures. However, September emerged as the busiest booking month of the quarter, coinciding with the end of the vacation season and a post-crisis recovery.
The data reinforces the region’s strong market trajectory, which industry forecasts project will grow at 6.1 per cent year-on-year into 2025.
The broader MENA market, valued at $18.1bn in 2024, is expected to reach $270.8bn by 2030, outpacing global averages.
Destinations and trip patterns
Saudi Arabia (20 per cent) and the UAE (15 per cent) retained their positions as the region’s leading business travel hubs in Q3, driving market growth despite external challenges. This hierarchy was followed by Egypt, Qatar, and emerging markets, including Morocco, Bahrain, and Oman.
The most popular routes booked during the quarter included Dubai – Kuala Lumpur, Dubai – Riyadh, and London – Dubai.
Tumodo’s data indicated a shift toward shorter business trips across the region.
One-to-two-day trips accounted for 9 per cent and 7 per cent of bookings, respectively, dominating the travel pattern.
Longer stays remained steady, with seven-day trips accounting for 4 per cent. This pattern reflects diverse business requirements, from brief regional meetings to extended project consultations for mega-projects like NEOM.
Pricing and carriers
In Q3, the average hotel booking value stood at $169, a rise from August as the vacation season concluded. Air bookings averaged $499.9.
Emirates was the preferred air carrier with 20.75 per cent of traveller preferences, followed by Turkish Airlines (10.41 per cent), Flydubai (4.58 per cent), Qatar Airways (3.15 per cent), and Air France (2.72 per cent).
Commenting on the findings, Mohanad Nada, head of GCC at Tumodo, stated: “The recovery we witnessed in Q3, particularly the 30 per cent surge above expectations, demonstrates the resilience of the MENA business travel market and its ability to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining growth”.
The broader market outlook remains optimistic, with inbound travel to MENA projected to grow 13 per cent annually through 2030.
Furthermore, business travel spending is expected to grow 1.5 times faster than the global average.
Read: Middle East travel spend set to soar 50% by 2030: report
