Travel bookings from Saudi Arabia to Dubai during the first half of this year compared to the same period last year declined by rates ranging between 45% and 90%, according to estimates from officials at travel platforms and agencies who spoke to Al-Eqtisadiah.

The decline rates varied among travel companies depending on the volume of requests and bookings registered with them and their customer base, while opinions of industry workers showed a shift in the map of destinations for Saudi travelers this year, with increased demand for domestic destinations alongside a number of alternative foreign destinations.

Officials at several companies said that part of the demand shifted to domestic tourism and regional and international destinations, most notably Turkey, Egypt, Doha, the Maldives, and a number of European countries.

Sun, 12 2026

Since the end of last February, the region has witnessed a war between the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other, which affected air traffic and travel in the region.

A ceasefire in mid-April between the warring parties helped lift restrictions on aircraft movement and restored airport operations to normal.

Abdullah Khouja, Director of Corporate Communications at the "Al-Matar" app, said that travel bookings from Saudi Arabia to Dubai saw a decline estimated at more than 45% since the beginning of this year compared to the same period last year.

Domestic tourism growth 16% in the first quarter

He added that part of the demand went to destinations popular with Saudi travelers, where domestic tourism emerged, especially in southern Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea region, supported by the availability of flights and special offers.

According to data from the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, domestic tourism recorded a growth of 16% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, with the number of domestic tourists reaching about 28.9 million tourists.

Visa cancellation boosts demand for Bosnia

On the international front, Khouja pointed to increasing interest in destinations such as Trabzon, and Bosnia after the visa cancellation, the North Coast in Egypt, Tbilisi, and London, along with rising demand for travel to the United States coinciding with the World Cup hosting, showing the diversity of travel options and changing preferences of travelers in the recent period.

For his part, Mahmoud Rakha, Tourism Director at Al-Nokhba Travel Agency, said that the decline rate in travel bookings to Dubai at the company ranged between 70% and 80% during the period from January to June of this year, compared to the same period in 2025, based on requests and confirmed bookings registered with the agency.

First indicators appeared in the January school break

He explained that the decline began noticeably during the mid-school break in January 2026, when the number of travelers to Dubai dropped significantly compared to the previous year, before the decline widened with the start of the Middle East crisis and war at the end of February, and continued until May, where demand for travel to Dubai became very limited.

Rakha pointed out that travelers turned to alternative destinations, foremost Turkey, Egypt, and some European countries, while tourist destinations inside Saudi Arabia witnessed a significant boom this year compared to last year.

He attributed the demand for domestic destinations to the ease of procedures and the good weather during that period, making them among the most prominent alternatives available to travelers.

In turn, Shaher Hijazi, Tourism Official at the Arab Company for Travelers Services, estimated a larger decline, pointing out that travel bookings to Dubai at the company fell by about 90% since the beginning of this year, compared to the same period last year.

Wed, 08 2026

He added that demand clearly shifted to a number of alternative destinations, most notably Doha, the Maldives, Turkey, and Egypt, along with several European countries, noting that the variety of available options and tourism offers contributed to redistributing client requests across different destinations in the recent period.

Saudis have always been the second most travelers to Dubai

Data from Dubai Airports showed that travelers from Saudi Arabia usually represent the second largest group of travelers to Dubai Airport in the quarterly statistics released by the company, reaching 1.3 million travelers out of 18.6 million travelers during the first quarter of this year.

It said that the number of travelers from Saudi Arabia declined by 32% year-on-year compared to 1.9 million travelers in the same period of 2025, and the company does not yet provide data for the first half of this year.

Regarding the relative discrepancy between the estimates of travel agencies and Dubai Airports, travel and tourism experts who spoke to Al-Eqtisadiah said that Dubai Airports talks about the performance of the first quarter only, while travel agency estimates cover the entire first half of the year, considering that the second quarter is usually the peak travel season for Saudis to Dubai, coinciding with holidays and seasons, as it falls during Eid al-Adha break and its end coincides with students' break, seasons that see the highest demand rates.

They added: This can be seen from the decline in the number of travelers from India, the nationality most arriving to Dubai, by 16% to 2.5 million travelers in the first quarter of this year compared to 3 million travelers in the previous year, which is about half the decline in Saudi travel of 32%.