Egypt ranked most popular tourist destination for Mena

Abu Dhabi : Egypt was the most popular destination for travellers from the Middle East and North Africa in the second quarter of this year, with India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE close behind, according to Wego. India jumped two positions from the year-earlier quarter to rank second in the list, boosted by the number of Indian expatriates based in the Arabian Gulf who travelled home for the holy month of Ramadan, the Singapore travel search engine said on Sunday in its latest Traveller Destination Leaderboard report. Pakistan jumped two places to ninth from 11th last year for the same reason.

Egypt maintained its top spot from the second quarter of 2017, “thanks to the continued patronage of both leisure and business travellers from the Mena region, and Egypt’s excellent value for money”. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia dropped one place to third position, but remains a popular destination among domestic and international visitors who travel for business, leisure and Umrah pilgrimage.

Turkey also dropped one spot in the second quarter of this year to fourth position. “But the nation is looking especially affordable for GCC-based travellers this year, owing to continued currency weakness and tourism numbers reflecting strong demand”, Wego said. Meanwhile, the UAE retained its spot as the fifth most popular destination, which it has held for the past four quarters. Its ranking was boosted by a rise in visitors from Saudi Arabia.