DUBAI: The value of the UAE’s online travel sales in 2018 is forecast to reach Dhs17.3 billion (US$1.98 billion), driven by a growing population, an increasing number of tourists, and UAE residents’ shift towards digital services, a new analysis from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has revealed. The analysis, based on recent data from Euromonitor International, found that direct online sales in 2018 are expected to hit Dhs9 billion ($2.5 billion), supported by higher airline sales. Meanwhile, Dhs8.3 billion ($2.3 billion) worth of online sales from intermediary companies were accounted for during the same year. Online travel sales through intermediary companies recorded a compound annual growth rate, CAGR, of 26.1 percent between 2013 and 2018, compared to 12.5 per cent CAGR for direct travel online sales over the same period.
