- New analysis finds that airport lounges stay extraordinarily in style within the area
- Loyalty rewards are thought of the highest fee card journey profit
- There’s a correlation between journey advantages and elevated use of fee playing cards
The journey ecosystem is already making a comeback after a disruptive occasion that has impacted each business. Travellers are once more taking to the skies for enterprise, leisure, and even bleisure. UNWTO World Tourism Barometer reveals a 182% year-on-year rise in worldwide tourism for the primary quarter of 2022, with locations worldwide welcoming an estimated 117 million worldwide arrivals in comparison with 41 million within the first quarter of 2021.
Collinson, a worldwide chief in traveller experiences, lately carried out a examine of almost 2,000 frequent travellers within the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, revealing some attention-grabbing insights. The evaluation discovered that the area’s restoration was already strong in 2021, indicating a vivid future.
Extra exactly, UAE travellers have taken a median of 4 return journeys in 2021, representing a 67% restoration from their pre-pandemic common of six. In KSA, travellers averaged eight return journeys in a typical pre-pandemic yr (2019) and took a median of 5 return journeys in 2021, representing a 63% restoration.
Airport lounge reputation is astounding
In accordance with Collinson’s analysis, the utilization of airport lounges is exceptionally excessive within the area. As a sign, 98% of respondents in KSA and 95% in UAE have accessed airport lounges previously.
Moreover, Precedence Cross, the unique and market-leading airport lounge and journey experiences programme, owned and operated by Collinson, has a powerful repute in each the UAE and the KSA. On this view, 76% of UAE and 66% of KSA respondents are conscious of Precedence Cross. The analysis noticed the identical outcomes for LoungeKey – a Collinson proposition designed particularly for fee playing cards, enabling banks to supply their clients with a seamless airport expertise globally.
The survey additionally examined how travellers within the UAE and KSA understand journey rewards and advantages, in addition to how beneficial airport lounge advantages are when supplied by their card suppliers. Curiously, 80% of KSA and 76% of UAE travellers mentioned they might use a card extra typically if it supplied journey rewards or advantages.
The three hottest journey advantages amongst respondents within the UAE are loyalty rewards (62%), airport lounge entry (58%), and frequent flyer rewards (56%). The findings within the KSA are remarkably comparable, with loyalty rewards (58%), frequent flyer rewards (57%), and airport lounge entry (55%)
Entry to an airport lounge within the case of a flight delay, in addition to private identification fraud safety, are additionally inside the prime 5 advantages accessible to cardholders. Collinson’s options will help tackle each. As airport delays and disruptions might be exhausting and irritating, SmartDelay turns flight delay stress into ‘lounge relaxation’. Collinson’s identification safety resolution, ID Sentry, affords travellers full help with defending their identities always, wherever on the earth, and on all units.
Buyer retention by means of elevated journey experiences
Whereas journey advantages will help retain clients, analysis reveals that greater than a 3rd of respondents in each the UAE and the KSA would gladly swap to a brand new card supplier for a extra premium, digitally enabled, and flawless journey experiences.
Collinson continues to push the boundaries of premium journey experiences by introducing new modern options to the market, tailor-made to the extra demanding travellers of the brand new period. The CarTrawler providing is a kind of providers that provides worth for Precedence Cross clients notably those that admire the consolation and comfort of a seamless end-to-end journey expertise.
Priyanka Lakhani, Senior Vice-President at Collinson, said: “As a big variety of cardholders are open to utilizing extra services and products from their on a regular basis card supplier, now’s the time to capitalise on this chance and double down on proactively increasing and offering extra complete options. Providing journey advantages on a credit score or cost card not solely enhances the cardholder expertise but in addition drives transaction income, as nearly three out of 4 clients (78% within the KSA and 74% within the UAE) would use them for travel-related spending.”
