65% of Q2 2024 Travel Requests Target Europe…

The Visa Services has summarized the results of the second quarter of 2024. According to these results, 65% of all visa applications were for Europe (in 7 out of 10 cases, families traveled there for vacation), 25% were for the United States, and another 15% were for countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

In monetary terms, the figures are even more impressive. Experts predict that the total revenue of the outbound tourism and travel market of the CAGR countries will reach $75.64 billion by the end of 2024, and by 2036, this figure will exceed $181.48 billion. It is easy to calculate that the average annual growth rate during the forecast period will be a significant 7.7%.

The Visa Services, a leading visa expert in the Dubai market, highlights that the number of visa applications received from the UAE residents in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 20% compared to the same period last year, with Europe once again in the lead among requests. The analysis was conducted at the peak of the tourist season, and the data obtained is largely influenced by the holding of major events such as the European Football Championship, the Olympic Games in Paris and Taylor Swift’s concert tour. In addition, there is a standard growth in visa application requests during the period from June to September when the UAE residents take vacations to escape the hot Dubai weather and spend time in one of the beautiful cities of Europe (notably, the undisputed leaders here are Spain, Greece, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, and Switzerland).

Here is what our Commercial Director Anastasia Yanchenko says about this: “The UAE is home to people from a wide variety of nationalities, and most of them (except for Emiratis) require a visa to enter the Schengen countries. Among the applicants, the largest group consists of Russians (35%), followed by Indians (23%), Filipinos (16%), Egyptians (7%), Jordanians (6%), and South Africans. The most popular categories of applicants are families (58%), followed by individuals applying for visas for themselves and their families”.

As for the processing times, currently the issuance of Schengen visas typically takes an average of 15 calendar days, but for some countries, this period can extend up to 45 days.

It is equally important to look at the statistics on refusals: in 2023, the rejection rate for Schengen visas for residents of the UAE was 22.44% (with an approval rate of 77.56%). Moreover, the average validity of most issued visas was 6 months, and this could vary depending on factors such as the quality and completeness of provided data, the presence of previously issued Schengen visas, the applicant’s current place of residence, income level and the presence of documents confirming financial stability.

According to Anastasia Yanchenko, in 2023, the majority of issued visas were for single-entry (74%), while the possibility to travel multiple times within 3-6 months accounted for only 21% of the issued visas. In 2024, the situation is quite different: 45% of visas were issued for a period of 3 to 6 months and 30% for more than a year. Whereas last year, tourist visas accounted for just 25% of the total number, now the situation is drastically opposite: 70% of requested visas are for travel, 20% – for business trips, 7% – for study purposes and another 3% – for medical reasons.

It is impossible not to note the impressive growth in our company’s performance: the number of successfully processed visa applications has tripled compared to last year. This is due to factors such as the growing popularity of outbound tourism and the development of trade between the UAE and other countries. Incidentally, one can depart from the UAE to almost any point in the world, which also positively influences the increase in the number of travelers.