Wego reveals popular European summer destinations for Saudi Arabian travellers, with UK and Georgia topping the list, as searches doubled, highlighting popularity of luxury accommodations and budget-friendly Eastern European countries.
JEDDAH – Wego, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)’s largest online travel marketplace and travel app, has revealed the top 10 European summer destinations most preferred by Saudi Arabian travellers this year.
Summer is one of the peak travel seasons for Saudi Arabian tourists. Long summer holidays also mean more time to explore places outside of your own backyard, and Europe is a popular destination for families, couples and solo travelers at this time of year.
Saudi Arabian travellers place a premium on comfort, with 4- and 5-star hotels accounting for 66.66% of European hotel bookings, according to Wego data, a preference that has remained largely unchanged since last year.
The UK receives most of its summer travel bookings to Europe from Saudi Arabia, accounting for 18.38% of all bookings to Europe. Closely following the UK is Georgia, which accounts for 14.97% of all bookings to Europe.
Mamoun Khumedan, chief operating officer at Wego;
Mamoun Khmedan, chief business officer at Wego, said: “Searches for trips to Europe from Saudi Arabia over the summer holidays have more than doubled compared to the same period in early 2024. With the summer travel season still in full swing, we may see another close battle between the UK and Georgia for bookings share from Saudi Arabia.”
Last summer, according to Wego, the most sought-after European summer destinations from Saudi Arabia were the UK and Georgia, with a difference of about 1% in bookings.
Saudi Arabian travellers hoping to snag seasonal airfare deals may still have reason to book now: Wego’s summer airfares to popular European destinations are now cheaper than last year, with the biggest price drops being for flights to the UK, down 22.56%, and flights to Azerbaijan now 31.45% cheaper than last summer.
Wego’s list of the most searched-for European summer destinations from Saudi Arabia this year includes a mix of familiar hotspots such as Italy, Germany and Spain, as well as several Eastern European countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Poland and Austria are among the top countries attracting significant interest in the region.
Some of these Eastern European countries are relatively budget-friendly and offer convenient visa arrangements for Saudi Arabian passport holders, making them popular among Saudi Arabian travelers.
Theodore is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the TravelDailyNews Media Network and is responsible for business development and planning long-term opportunities for TravelDailyNews.
