British holidaymakers are warming to the Middle East

A lot of investment has gone into improving tourism across the Middle East in recent years, and it appears that this is now starting to pay dividends, with British tourists appearing to warm to the idea of holidaying in the area.

Indeed, a recent report by Travelzoo has revealed that the majority of UK-based travellers who head to the area come back with positive reviews of their experiences, whether visiting established hotspots like Egypt's Red Sea resorts and Dubai, or other up-and-coming countries that are still finding their feet as major tourist destinations.

For example, the report indicated that the likes of Abu Dhabi, Israel, Jordan and a number of other locations throughout the region are beginning to catch up with the more popular holiday destinations in the Middle East.

What's more, after polling its 6.8 million subscribers, Travelzoo noted that some 70 per cent of Brits who have visited the area are now hoping to return for another holiday there, while a similar proportion would be happy to recommend the Middle East as a travel destination to family and friends.

In fact, so keen are some people to return that around a third of all British holidaymakers to have been to the Middle East said that they plan on going back within a year to 18 months, with the good weather being cited as the main attraction - closely followed by the local culture.

Interestingly, however, some 83 per cent of respondents said their travel agent had never recommended the region to them, suggesting that much of the Middle East remains undiscovered by mainstream tourism.

However, there is certainly no reason not to consider visiting this part of the world on your next holiday, and it seems that Brits are largely unfazed by the perceived political unrest that has been reported throughout the region in recent times. Indeed, more than half of those who said they wouldn't consider a trip there claimed that this is because the area simply doesn't interest them, with no hint of trepidation about the political situation.

Posted by Robin Western

Published 01 Aug 2014

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