Middle East business travel to grow 6.1% in 2025, adapting to global shifts

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The session, titled 'State of the Nation: Navigating the Future of Business Travel in the Middle East,' held in partnership with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), provided valuable insights into the market dynamics influencing corporate travel budgets and decision-making.

Changing dynamics of corporate travel

Catherine Logan, regional senior vice president EMEA and APAC, Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), said: "In general, the argument for business travel in 2025 is strong, but transformational change will continue to influence how we travel for work around the world. These include economic stability, budget factors, how and where we work, implications of technology, the evolution of sustainability in business travel and the focus on the traveller."

Logan also highlights that sustainably managed business travel is a force for good, driving progress for businesses, governments, economies and people.

Middle East business travel performance

According to the 2024 GBTA Business Travel Index Outlook Report, the Middle East accounts for 1.2% of global business travel spend and has performed better than any other region post-Covid, with spend reaching 19.4% higher than pre-Covid levels.

The estimated business travel spending in the Middle East was $18.1bn in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% in 2025, highlighting the region’s strategic importance in the global corporate travel and events ecosystem.

Ciaran Kelly, managing director of Middle East & Africa, FCM Travel, said: "There is a positive outlook for business travel in the region, backed by trends we are seeing from our customers, surveys, and what our forecasts are for the year ahead.

"A lot of the growth is due to the public and private projects taking place – it is almost impossible to get a seat on a plane from Dubai to Riyadh, for example, and once you land, hotel availability is limited. Hotel occupancy across the region is the highest globally, around the 70-80% mark, putting a lot of pressure on hotels, but in general, everything is positive."

Reflecting on the significance of the session, Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: "Understanding the shifts in business travel spending is essential for companies that want to remain competitive and resilient in a fast-evolving market.

"Sessions like this at IBTM@ATM are crucial for providing our attendees with actionable insights and real-world analysis, empowering them to navigate shifting travel patterns and discover new opportunities in the Middle East and beyond."