The recent Consumer Lifestyle Survey commissioned by MasterCard International, as part of its MasterIndex of Consumer Confidence, reveals that 67% of travelers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region own a credit card and that a credit card is an essential travel accessory, used to make a variety of purchases when traveling abroad.
The Consumer Lifestyle Survey asks respondents questions about their lifestyle including anticipated personal foreign air travel over the next 12 months. It was conducted across seven markets in South Asia, Middle East and Africa (SAMEA) region and revealed personal air travel and consumer lifestyle preferences.
The survey showed that credit cards were used by travelers to pay primarily for shopping, accessing their bank account, meals, entertainment and car rental. The survey showed 60% of cardholders based in Lebanon, 57% of travelers based in Kuwait, 51% of travelers based in the United Arab Emirates, 37% of travelers based Egypt and 35% of travelers of based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia use their credit card for shopping.
53% of Egyptian based travelers, 50% of Lebanon based travelers, 48% of UAE based travelers, 41% of Kuwait based travelers and 32% of travelers based in Saudi Arabia will use their credit cards for access to ATMs.
When it comes to spending, interestingly the survey revealed that 57% of Saudi travelers are expected to spend more than US$3000 on their personal air travel in the next twelve months compared to Kuwaiti travelers (50%), UAE travelers (35%) and Lebanese travelers (27%).
“A credit card is becoming a travel necessity. While traveling, MasterCard credit cards offer cardholders flexibility, safety, convenience and universal acceptability with over 23 million acceptance locations worldwide,” said Denzil Lawson, senior vice president and general manager, MasterCard International, Middle East & North Africa.
Survey data further disclosed that travelers in the Middle East opt for their national air carriers as a first choice for their personal travel abroad and that the majority of travelers surveyed showed a strong preference for making their personal travel arrangements through travel agencies rather than making direct bookings with airlines.
The top influencers on the choice of travel destination cited by respondents in the MENA region included familiarity with the destination (32%), available time (22%), family visit (21%) and personal safety (20%).
“Holidays, travel and leisure are important aspects of MasterCard cardholders’ lifestyles. Recognizing this, MasterCard offered great benefits to our cardholders during 2005 and will continue to do so in the future. This summer, for the sixth year running, MasterCard was a key sponsor of Dubai Summer Surprises and teamed up with Hilton and Emirates Holidays to provide unique, value-added benefits to our cardholders when booking hotel rooms and holidays. A Middle East wide ‘Together Wherever’ promotion was also launched giving cardholders from participating banks, who use their MasterCard card at home and abroad, the opportunity to win ‘priceless’ travel experiences.” said Denzil Lawson.
About MasterCard International
MasterCard International is a leading global payments solutions company that provides a broad variety of innovative services in support of our global members’ credit, deposit access, electronic cash, business-to-business and related payment programs. MasterCard manages a family of well-known, widely accepted payment card brands including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus® and serves financial institutions, consumers and businesses in over 210 countries and territories. The MasterCard award-winning Priceless® advertising campaign is now seen in 105 countries and in 48 languages, giving the MasterCard brand a truly global reach and scope. For more information go to www.mastercardinternational.com.
About MasterIndex
The MasterIndex survey of consumer confidence is the only one of its kind in the region. The survey will be conducted on a bi-annual basis. The survey was designed to gauge the perceptions of people who have the experience and means of engaging in a wide spectrum of activities which dictate the performance of the national economy. Thus respondents were amongst the ‘banked’ population (i.e. to have at least a savings account, or a home/auto loan, a plastic payment or ATM card) and were between the ages of 18-64. More information can be found by visiting the website www.mastercard-masterindex.com.
