Where do a million Arabs want to go this summer? There was no cajoling. No persuasion. No incentives. We gave them the option to choose. They clicked. And now we have the score. Pure. Unbiased numbers.
But first something about our users. 1,050,464 unique users visited Irhal.com in 2014. More than 80% of them are Arabs. 36% are from Saudi Arabia. 64% of them live in the GCC-Levant. 18% of the visitors are not from the MENA region. All are looking for travel inspiration.
So, where do these people want to go this summer? Short haul destinations and cities that are a few hours’ drive away are the most popular. Amman, Jordan, is the No.1 destination on Irhal. Bahrain, Beirut, Dubai and Doha make the top 5. Istanbul comes in at No.6 while Paris is No.7. Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Athens ring in the top 10.
The ranking of countries is slightly different. The United States comes in as the No.1 destination where Arabs wish to go in 2015. Jordan, Bahrain, the UAE and Beirut make up the top 5. Surprisingly, Iran is No.6 followed by Spain, Germany and Saudi Arabia. France comes in at No.10.
Egypt is conspicuous by its absence from the list of top 25 destinations. With improvements in the political situation this could change by the end of the year. Malaysia and Indonesia seem to have lost their popularity while South Korea is in the top 20.
These results reflect the travel aspirations of 1 million Arabs. Will they actually go to these countries on a holiday? Perhaps. Can they be influenced? Yes.
For a detailed list of the top 25 cities and countries and information on how you can persuade these users to change their preferences please send an email to survey@irhal.com
