Maktoob Research has revealed the findings of a comprehensive syndicated study on the travel industry in the UAE and KSA.
The online survey, titled ‘The TravelMonitor’, canvassed the opinions of 2,457 UAE and Saudi adult residents who travel at least once a year, and covered topics ranging from travel preferences and trends, brand awareness and usage, customer satisfaction levels and customer needs in both the airline and hospitality sectors.
Emirates was voted the region’s top airline, leading the table in terms of overall customer satisfaction; the Dubai-based airline also bagged the distinction of being the most widely used carrier among UAE travelers. Saudi Airlines, the national airline of KSA, emerged the most widely used carrier among Saudi travelers.
Similarly, in the hospitality sector, Hilton led all hotels in KSA in terms of usage and overall customer satisfaction. In the UAE, however, while Hilton remained atop the usage index, it dropped down the table when it came to overall customer satisfaction, the home-grown Jumeirah Hotels taking the top spot.
Commenting on ‘The TravelMonitor’, Tamara Deprez, Director of Maktoob Research, said, “In undertaking this study, we intend to provide a veritable portrait of consumer preferences and emerging trends within the region’s travel industry, which is evolving at a dramatic pace. The findings of the study would serve as a handy guide for the movers and shakers of the travel industry to understand how customers perceive them and how best to cater to their requirements, while identifying aspects of business that need further attention.”
Among the key findings of the study are:
o Emirates Airline scored highest in overall satisfaction among both Saudi and UAE travelers, tallying 8.5 and 8.3 respectively on a 10-point scale. However, while Emirates was comfortably ahead of rival airlines in Saudi, it faced stiffer competition on its home turf, with Qatar Airways and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways following closely behind with a score of 7.8 each to tie for second.
o In terms of ‘brand awareness’ and ‘usage’, Emirates again led the way among UAE travelers with a score of 85% and 39% respectively, ahead of Etihad and Air Arabia. Among travelers from KSA, Saudi Airline turned out the overwhelming winner in both categories, notching 92% in ‘brand awareness’ and 81% in ‘usage’. However, the airline was also rated the most expensive by Saudi travelers.
o Although Emirates had an edge over its competitors in categories such as ‘Efficiency’, ‘Innovation’, ‘Luxury’, ‘Distinctive Style’ and ‘Reliability’, it was also rated the most expensive airline by travelers from the UAE. The survey also revealed a significant drop in the intention of Saudi travelers to use Emirates in the future, from 44% in 2007 to 28% this year.
o Etihad and Emirates received the highest votes from KSA travelers in the ‘Value-for-Money’ category. Interestingly, neither of the airlines could claim the top spot on their home turf, UAE travelers instead picking Qatar Airways as the most value-for-money airline.
o One of the most remarkable results of the survey is the phenomenal increase in usage of Sama Airlines among Saudi travelers, from a mere 1% in 2007 to a whopping 18% in 2008. In the process, the airline became the second most widely used carrier in KSA, taking the spot from Emirates.
o In the hospitality sector, while Hilton claimed top position when it came to brand awareness, usage and intended future use, it was also rated the most expensive hotel.
o Marriott was voted the most value-for-money hotel in KSA, while in the UAE, the distinction went to Radisson.
o Comparing the current use and intended future use of hotels, the Jumeirah, Shangri-La, Hyatt, and Marriott hotel brands in the UAE could expect a surge in guests.
The Maktoob Research TravelMonitor also examined a host of other travel-related trends and consumer attitudes. For airlines, it surveyed several aspects that determine passenger experience and influence customer perception such as safety and security, ticket fare, in-flight service quality, seating comfort, aircraft cleanliness, attitude and friendliness of cabin staff, adherence to schedule, availability of newspapers and magazines, efficiency of check-in and boarding, grooming and appearance of cabin staff, handling of delays and cancellations, and in-flight entertainment selection, in addition to overall satisfaction level, brand awareness and usage. A similar set of indexes were used to assess customer perception of major hotel brands.
With online information and e-booking playing a critical role in the modern travel industry, The TravelMonitor took special note of airline and hotel websites, asking travelers to rate individual websites for their customer service content, ease of navigation, online reservation facilities, and payment options, among other factors. The study also assessed customer satisfaction across various categories for business class, first class and frequent flyers.
As the regional travel market continues its impressive growth, the Maktoob Research TravelMonitor provides invaluable insights into what GCC travelers want from their airlines and hotels. The results indicate that the Arab traveler of today is sophisticated, savvy, and keenly aware of value-for-money and customer service expectations.
The complete TravelMonitor report, which includes detailed analysis of the performances of top airline and hotel properties, can be purchased online by sending an email to [email protected], or by contacting Tamara Deprez at Maktoob Research at +971 4 3913640.
About Maktoob Research:
Maktoob Research, a Maktoob.com entity and a member of ESOMAR, offers an online panel covering 2 million Arab consumers (and growing) in the Middle East and North Africa. Maktoob Research guarantees delivery of high-quality, super-fast quantitative research projects at highly competitive rates.
Maktoob Research can target its panel members by demographics, such as age, gender and occupation among others, which makes it possible to target specific areas, a survey targeted at students for example. Key behavioural patterns are available too.
Maktoob Research not only provides full project support to its clients via survey programming, translations and hosting, but also a complete research package, including consultancy. Research Portal can be made available - an online tool for real-time analysis. During an on-going research, research data will be available 24/7.
