78% of consumers in Egypt to travel for leisure in coming months: MasterCard survey

Seventy eight percent of consumers in Egypt are set to travel for leisure in the coming months, according to the latest findings of a MasterCard survey. The survey also shows that, when compared to the previous year, 53% of consumers plan to increase or maintain their levels of leisure travel.

Consumers in Egypt have indicated that they are most likely to travel domestically in the second half of 2011, with only 12% of consumers indicating that they are likely to travel abroad.

Alexandria emerged as the most popular domestic travel hub, with 60% of travelers planning to travel to the port city. Other local cities that were preferred destinations for domestic travel within Egypt include Aswan (10%), Luxor (10%), Cairo (7%)[1], Ismailia (4%) and Port Said (3%).

With respect to inbound travel, Egypt continued to be a popular destination of choice for GCC consumers. In Saudi Arabia, of those inclined to travel, 25% are likely to travel to Egypt in the coming year. Egypt also proved to be a popular destination for consumers in Qatar and Kuwait, where 20% of travelers chose it as a preferred destination.

"Travelling for leisure is an important priority for many consumers in Egypt and it is interesting to note that a majority of Egyptian travelers prefer to visit local cities, rather than traveling abroad. The trend attests to the rich cultural offerings within Egypt and reflects renewed optimism about the country. At the same time, Egypt's tourism stands to benefit from the influx of inbound international travelers, notably from GCC countries. Businesses that can cater to this flow of domestic and international inbound travel will do particularly well in the future", Shaun Rashid, area head, North Africa and Levant, MasterCard Worldwide.

The latest survey was conducted from 15 March and 27 April this year with 17,620 consumers from 25 markets[2]. Data collection was via internet surveys, personal, telephone and Computer Aided Telephone interviews, with the questionnaire translated to the local language wherever appropriate and necessary. The Index and its accompanying reports do not represent MasterCard financial performance

Amongst other trends in leisure travel, consumers in Egypt hold the highest preference to travel in order to spend time with their families (59%), to relax and recharge (25%) and to sightsee (6%). In addition, 81% of them prefer to travel with their families when on vacation, while 19% would like to travel with friends; only 1% would choose to travel alone. These figures vary by gender: a greater number of women (94%) prefer to travel with their families compared to men (76%).

The MasterCard survey also sheds light on the financial arrangements of consumers as related to their leisure travel. About 63% of consumers in Egypt say that they save throughout the year to fund their holidays; whereas 21% use their bonus or increment.

Amongst other spending trends, cash emerged as the most popular payment choice for travellers from Egypt in relation to accommodation (98%), transportation (99%) and expenses under USD 100 (97%). Consumers also indicated that the majority prefer to pay for expenses over USD100 (90%) with cash, with 10% highlighting credit cards as their payment method of choice.

Rashid added: "In an increasingly interconnected world, MasterCard understands the importance of travel for global, regional and local economies alike. We also work closely with our customer banks, merchants and business associates to address the needs of today's travel-savvy consumers. It is critical to recognize their multiple preferences and diverse backgrounds. For instance, are women's travel preferences somewhat different from men's? What activities interest families most when they travel? The MasterCard survey attempts to provide some of these insights. "

Other key Middle East findings from the survey include:

* Saudi consumers (84%) top the list of Middle East consumers aiming to travel for leisure in the coming months. They are followed by consumers in Kuwait (83%), Qatar (80%), Egypt (78%), UAE (70%), Oman (60%) and Lebanon (59%).

* Within the Middle East countries, three broad trends are seen to emerge with regard to top destinations for leisure travel. For UAE (63%) and Oman (64%), Asia-Pacific emerged as the region attracting most consumers for leisure. For KSA (68%), Egypt (5%), and Kuwait (66%) the Middle East and Africa was the most attractive destination. And in Lebanon (38%) consumers ranked Europe as their most preferred leisure destination.

* A salient pattern is noticeable in relation to methods of payment for travel-related expenses such as accommodation, transportation, expenses under USD 100 and expenses over USD 100. Overall, across the Middle East markets, consumers tend to prefer cash over credit cards for these expenditures, followed by debit/ATM cards and cheques as third and fourth choices. Qatar is an exception to this trend. Qatari consumers prefer using credit cards over cash for accommodation (32% vs 29%), expenses under USD 100 (35% vs 31%), and expenses over USD 100 (38% vs 16%). Another exception is KSA, where debit/ATM cards, though still dominated by cash, appear to be more popular than credit cards.