More consumers are looking at travel online, but the challenge is to increase the numbers that actually proceed to book and pay online. More consumers are looking at travel online, but the challenge is to increase the numbers that actually proceed to book and pay online.

MakeMyTrip chief commercial officer and co-founder, Keyur Joshi noted that the Middle East as a region should be an easy market for online travel agencies to exist in.

“It is quite a large market and it is not that difficult to crack. What we are seeing is that people are wide open to transacting online. It is quite an open market and it is not something that should be avoided,” he said.

He addded that the Indian company was keen to expand in the region, but that the “area of interest is in hotels”.

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“Even if we are looking at packages, we are eventually looking at selling a hotel rooms. [We would be open to acquiring] anything that will help us accelerate growth for selling hotel rooms”.

Cleartrip senior vice president Tarique Khatri noted that there was a perception that the Middle East is a “very tough market” to enter, but that it is actually very receptive and that the company has seen “phenomenal” growth in the past 1.5 years.

Locally founded Musafir.com was hesitant when it began operation in 2007, pulling back until until Cleartrip made a bullish approach on the market a few years ago.

Sharing the company’s experience, Musafir co-founder and marketing & technology director, Albert Dias said: “We weren’t in the very beginning confident about the consumer market online. There have been very few companies in this region that have focused on being a true OTA.

“There are a lot of international players coming in and making their presence felt, but it’s the local players that in the long term will have the greater success story based on local knowledge and the local ability to access those customers.”

He added that one of the main reasons the local market had not had the same success as those internationally, was down to the fact that the market was still emerging and hadn’t had the time to grow at the pace that the international companies have.

“You will see in the next five to six years that it’s the local companies that I strongly believe will grow to that level,” Dias noted.

Kuoni Group launched its online travel resource EmiratesYOO last year and according to its managing director Girma Wossenseged, the site has already received interaction from visitors across the UAE looking to share their experiences. He added that “about 72% are repeat or customers that use us as the DMC, and 28% are new”.

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