UAE travellers keen to visit India, UK, Singapore

India, the UK and Singapore have been voted the top future global destinations for travellers from the UAE, according to the new Visa Global Travel Intentions Survey 2011. The research showed that travellers from the UAE are spending more than average when overseas, with the average spend by respondents in the last two years reaching $1,801 and expected to rise to $2,367 in next two years. India (27 percent), the UK (23 percent) and Singapore (20 percent) dominated the results of UAE respondents as part of a global study. Top destinations travellers from the UAE had visited in the past two years were also India (44 percent), with Malaysia, the UK and Egypt all tied at 14 percent each. Kamran Siddiqi, general manager for Visa Middle East, said: "With such a diverse cultural make-up in the UAE, it's no surprise to see such a variety of destinations making an appearance. "India is consistently popular with people living in the UAE, both because it is home to a large population of expatriate Indians who come to work here in the UAE, but also because of its relatively close proximity, extensive and good value travel links." Ross Jackson, Head of Cross-Border Business, Asia Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, Visa, added: "The UK was cited as one of the top choices for UAE as well as global travellers overall, and of those who want to visit UK, 27 percent said they are likely to attend a sporting event. "The upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games could be a pull factor and it is an indication that sport tourism is proving to be a growing attraction for today's travellers." Results from the survey also revealed that the global average spend for the last trip taken by respondents in the past two years was $1,481, rising to an expected $1,895 over the next two years.