He argues that mobile is used far more in the E-services area (rather than E-sales), which comprises check-in, flight status information. In the airline space mobile bookings still account for a small share of online bookings, argues Peter Pohlschmidt,who is Senior Manager Customer Relationship Management at Qatar Airways, speaking in his personal capacity and from his own observations of living in the Gulf. Emirates and Qatar Airways have surpassed the million mark on Facebook, says Shashank Nigam, Chief Executive at aviation marketing firm SimpliFlying, who will be joining us for the webinar on September 16. In fact, research shows that Middle Eastern consumers have a relatively strong propensity to interact with travel brands via social. Social media became a powerful vehicle for communication during the Arab Spring in places like Egypt and this propensity for people to engage with community issues online, is now influencing travel. Social media too is playing a strong role in the region, with people spending on average 7.2 hours a day on social media sites, according to EyeforTravel research.

“Slowly the infiltration of social sites and their integration with other communication channels and businesses is making the mobile platform a truly personal experience that is always with you,” says Sayed,who will be joining us for a webinar on marketing and distributing travel in the Middle East on September 16. This is certainly the case for Marriott Hotels in Dubai where mobile penetration is high and mobile social channels are, says Aftab Sayed, Senior eCommerce Manager, Dubai Marriott Hotels, a significant chunk of the pie.

Mobile and social is blurring and it’s getting personal However, to what extent are these devices being used to drive conversions? Ahead of an EyeforTravel webinar on September 16, which will highlight some key opportunities in this growing market, we consider some emerging trends.ġ. Some of the key findings from EyeforTravel’s recent Social Media & Mobile in Travel Distribution Report, 2013 shows that mobile – and this includes both phones and tablets - outperforms both the personal computer and laptop in most Middle Eastern countries in the research phase.

EyeforTravel’s editor Pamela Whitby reports With the World Travel & Tourism Council forecasting that travel’s contribution to GDP in the Middle East will rise by 60% in 2013 to $128 billion in 2023, this looks like an exciting space for travel brands.

One mobile market crack