Dubai-based Emirates airline has topped YouGov’s Travel and Tourism Rankings 2022 in UAE, receiving the highest impression score of 63.3 among the residents in the country.
Last year, during the summer months when many destinations eased their travel restrictions, Emirates responded to the strong travel demands by ramping up its route to 90 per cent of pre-pandemic coverage, the research firm noted.
“Additionally, the continued emphasis on health and safety measures as well as making the process as contactless as possible with minimal interaction with people, together with the extension of tier status deadlines by one year were all very well received by the public, contributing to the brand’s strong overall impression among the UAE residents,” said YouGov.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways came in second place with an impression score of 40.5, while Qatar Airways took the tenth (22.1) place in the rankings.
Hotels, too
Dubai’s iconic hotel Burj Al Arab is placed third (32.6). “Last year, for the first time, the hotel opened its doors to non-guests (residents and tourists) to discover its most prestigious and inaccessible spaces, which might have helped the brand create a stronger positive impression among the people in UAE,” said the report.
Luxury resort Atlantis, the Palm came fourth (+28.7), followed by other five-star properties Hilton (+25.9), Jumeirah (+25.6), and Emirates Palace (+24.6) in fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively. Luxury hospitality brands Marriott and Rotana also featured in eighth (+23.6) and ninth place (+23.3), completing the top 10 list in UAE.
Biggest improvement
YouGov also revealed the top five brands that made the largest improvement to their Impression scores over the past 12 months. Along with featuring in the 2022 UAE’s top ten list, Qatar Airways was also the most improved brand of the past year with a change in score of 5.1.
Middle East’s low-cost carriers, flydubai and Air Arabia as well as Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways also featured as the most improved brands of the past year, securing the second, third and fifth place, respectively.
