Business travel in the Middle East and North Africa is growing faster than the global average, forecasted to reach $270.8 billion by 2030. Tumodo, the UAE-based online business travel platform, reports on corporate travel demand, pricing, and destination trends across the region in Q1 2026.
Q1 2026 opened at December 2025 levels, with January recording a modest 5% uptick. February saw a 20% jump in trips and bookings, in line with Tumodo’s forecasts for the period. March did not surpass February but came in 5% above January, with part of that volume driven by companies relocating staff across the region.
The first quarter matched Q4 2025 in booking volume. Tumodo estimates that without the regional conflict disrupting travel patterns in March, the quarter would have posted growth of around 25%.
Major destinations in the MENA region
Saudi Arabia led MENA business travel in Q1 2026, accounting for 30% of trips, followed by the UAE at 20% and Egypt at 10%. The most-travelled routes were Dubai to Riyadh, Dubai to Cairo, and Riyadh to Cairo, all on a return basis.
Prices
Average air ticket bookings rose to $451 in Q1 2026, up from $439 in Q4 2025. The increase is modest and broadly within inflation. Tumodo flags a sharper rise ahead, growing fuel costs and a reduction in available routes are expected to push ticket prices up by as much as 25%.
Hotel bookings averaged $467, compared to $455 in Q4 2025. Emirates was the most-used carrier at 20% of bookings, followed by Saudia (19%), Turkish Airlines (16%), and flydubai (10%).
Trip patterns
The average business trip in Q1 2026 lasted four days. The pattern reflects a mix of short bilateral meetings on the region’s busiest corridors and longer assignments tied to ongoing development projects, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where infrastructure programmes continue to draw international teams.
Mohanad Nada, Head of GCC at Tumodo, said: “February performed exactly as we had forecast and the numbers showed it. March was a different story, but it still came in ahead of January, which tells you the underlying appetite for business travel in MENA remains solid. The more immediate concern for corporate travel managers right now is pricing. We expect meaningful cost increases on air travel over the coming months, and the companies that book early will be the ones that protect their budgets.”
Inbound travel to MENA is projected to grow 13% annually through 2030, with business travel spending expected to grow 1.5 times faster than the global average. With Q1 volumes matching Q4 2025 and forward demand indicators pointing upward, Tumodo expects Q2 to reflect a cleaner picture of the market’s trajectory.
About Tumodo
Based in the UAE, Tumodo is an online B2B travel platform that helps businesses manage and optimise corporate travel. Tumodo combines AI algorithms, a user-friendly interface, and round-the-clock support to let companies plan and book trips in minutes, with savings of up to 35% on travel costs.
