Across the GCC, a new kind of traveller has been emerging in recent years, one who isn’t just booking trips, but looking for experience.
Whether it’s driving demand for mega-events like the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, or seeking out food, wellness, and cultural moments tied to local identity, leisure travel in 2025 is increasingly shaped by emotional motivations, not just logistics. For hospitality brands and tourism boards, this change represents a powerful opportunity, but only for those ready to move with it.
A new kind of demand is taking shape
Recent travel analysis around the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix shows a clear shift in audience behaviour. While solo travellers still form the largest segment attending, their share has dropped below 50 per cent with couples now making up around 40 per cent of trips, and family bookings edging into double digits. This suggests the F1 weekend is becoming less of a solo “bucket list” trip and more of a shared lifestyle experience.
The majority of visitors are planning short, high-intent getaways of 4–6 nights, with many extending their stay around the UAE’s National Day celebrations or after-race concerts like Yasalam. Beyond the race weekend, visitors are increasingly looking to immerse themselves in culture, adventure, or relaxation, from exploring Saadiyat’s growing cultural district to unwinding on the coastline or discovering Abu Dhabi’s newly opened Natural History museum.
At the same time, flight bookings into both Abu Dhabi and Dubai during race week are up year-on-year, with overall bookings tracking +8.78 per cent above the same period in 2024. Dubai is increasingly acting as a gateway city, feeding travellers into Abu Dhabi and enabling dual-destination stays.
These patterns align with broader market research. In May, the Mastercard Economics Institute identified food, nature, and wellness as leading travel motivators for EEMEA in 2025, with travellers seeking richer, more meaningful ways to connect with destinations. Phocuswright also notes a growing desire for curated, themed experiences in the Middle East, whether tied to heritage, music, gastronomy, or live events. Research from PWC and Mabrian Technologies further shows that arts and culture top the list of visitor interests in the UAE (26.6per cent ).
Saudi Arabia’s experience-first strategy is rising, too
This trend isn’t limited to the UAE. Saudi Arabia’s major event strategy, from hosting Formula 1, the Esports World Cup, and boxing title matches, to preparing for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, signals a deliberate move to build an experience-led visitor economy. Events like the WTA Finals and “Season” activations across Riyadh and Jeddah are helping to create short-stay, high-spend travel windows, particularly among intra-GCC audiences.
It’s no surprise that intra-regional travel is a top priority for many of the regional leaders who spoke at the recent TOURISE event I attended in Riyadh. Recent travel data shows that total flight bookings to the Kingdom are up 24 per cent year-over-year, domestic travel is up 38 per cent , and intra-regional travel is up 14 per cent , underscoring the scale of opportunity for brands to reach audiences across the region.
How marketers can respond
As the experience economy matures, performance marketing strategies must also evolve. Simply reaching mass audiences is no longer enough. Instead, the focus must shift to curating the right audiences with a programmatic approach — leveraging the precision of a direct buy, but with the scale and speed of programmatic—guided by real-time traveller intent and behavioural signals.
For instance, travel marketers can identify users actively searching for flight routes aligned with event dates, browsing concert or festival content, or seeking hotel availability near key venues. These signals enable brands to build event-linked, emotional-led campaigns across display, social, video, or native formats that resonate with travellers at the exact point of consideration.
Marketers also increasingly need to design campaigns around compressed booking windows, especially in markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where lead times can be short and mobile behaviour dominates. In fact, the UAE leads the world in mobile shopping in 2025, with 67 per cent of consumers using their phones to shop.
A future built around moments
In today’s competitive landscape, being visible isn’t enough; you have to be contextually relevant. Travel is no longer just about where someone is going, but why. For tourism boards and hospitality brands, embracing this reality means leaning into experiences: sports, concerts, nature, cuisine, and culture, not just room rates and routes.
With the right approach, marketers can capture demand around iconic events like the Abu Dhabi F1 and create lasting emotional connections that turn first-time guests into returning visitors, and shared getaways into lifelong memories.
By Stewart Smith, Managing Director, International Corporate & Destinations, Sojern
