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UAE residents most optimistic about Covid-19 situation globally

Dubai - 52% of residents plan to travel abroad in the next 12 months, says YouGov survey.

The UAE residents are the most optimistic about the Covid-19 pandemic as more than half of them believe that the situation is getting better globally.

According to a new YouGov survey, 52 per cent of residents believe that the coronavirus situation is getting better as compared to 46 per cent in the USA and the UK, 33 per cent in Germany, 32 per cent in Australia and 27 per cent in France.

This strong confidence can be attributed to the massive vaccination drive in the country because the UAE is now the most vaccinated nation.

As a result of this confidence, the YouGov survey revealed that more than half – 51 per cent – of UAE residents plan to travel for leisure abroad over the next 12 months as compared to 15 per cent in France, 27 per cent in Germany and 13 per cent in the UK. Around 25 per cent of people in the UAE are likely to opt for domestic holidays while 23 per cent plan both domestic and international holidays, said the survey.

“The UAE stands out in terms of international travel sentiment, with respondents planning to travel substantially more than consumers in other countries. Both domestic and regional tourism is expected to be vibrant,” YouGov said in its latest International Travel & Tourism Report 2021.

Maldives is the top destination for UAE residents with nearly a quarter of them keen to visit the island nation. Canada, Switzerland, the UK, Japan, the USA, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Italy are the other destinations that UAE residents would like to visit.

The survey found 18 per cent of UAE residents intend to travel for business in the next 12 months at par with India and Egypt. This is compared to 17 per cent in Saudi Arabia, 15 per cent in Indonesia, 13 per cent in China, eight per cent in Japan and seven per cent in Singapore.

The data used in this study is based on the interviews of 184,254 adults aged 18 and over across 25 countries. All interviews were conducted online between October 22, 2020 and May 31, 2021 and the results are nationally representative. The countries covered in the poll include Australia, France, Germany, India, the UK, the US, China, Sweden, Indonesia, Canada, Spain, the UAE, Denmark, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico and the Philippines.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com