Tourists from over 80 countries visited MENA region in 2022, reveals Uber

Uber’s latest data-driven insights on mobility in the MENA region showed the impact of ridesharing on tourism, economic growth, and the road toward more sustainable transportation.

According to the mobility as a service/ride-hailing provider, the MENA region witnessed significant growth, especially during 2022.

During the last period, the region became a very attractive destination to host mega events like the World Cup in Qatar, which further attracted more tourists from all around the world.

Uber’s insights showed that tourists from more than 80 different countries visited the MENA region in the past year, specifically: 86 in Egypt, 82 in Saudi Arabia, 86 in the UAE, and 85 in Qatar.

Read: Uber transports 2.6 million riders across Qatar during FIFA World Cup

The impact of increased tourism and public-private collaboration for mega-events also reflected positively on drivers’ earnings.

The data also showed the continuous need for flexible economic opportunities that enable drivers to attend to other commitments and have multiple flexible sources of earnings, especially during the current challenging global macroeconomic conditions.

Out of all drivers who use the platform, 85 per cent in Egypt, 97 per cent in Saudi Arabia, 26 per cent in the UAE, and 27 per cent in Qatar drive less than 30 hours per week using the Uber platform as an additional economic opportunity.

Frans Hiemstra, MEA regional director, and general manager for Uber said, “MENA is one of our key regions that contribute to the business globally with its potential to welcome innovative technologies.

“Our vision for the region is focused on three main pillars: to provide all riders using our platform who just reached 39m since launching in MENA with diverse options that would make their travel more seamless; to support drivers during these unprecedented times by creating new opportunities for additional earnings; to contribute to the wider goal of making our planet greener as per our global 2040 commitment to make our platform emissions-free.

“Today, we are proud to share key 2022-2023 milestones that have contributed to this vision so far.”

Uber to offer more sustainable trips to riders

Over the last years, the provider has offered more sustainable options in the UAE and Jordan to give riders the ability to request a trip via the app using a fully electric vehicle under the UberGreen option and has made its first commitment in the region in 2022.

It aims to have one in four trips (25 per cent) in the UAE be emissions-free by 2030.

The latest insights revealed that the number of sustainable trips has doubled as more than 9 per cent of Q1 of 2023 trips requested through the platform in the UAE were emission-free.

“This is just a start. We need to continue the dialogue and collaboration to accelerate expanding this transition across all countries in our region. We are ready to provide our know-how and technology to do the right thing for our planet and for making the world a better place for the next generation,” added Hiemstra.

Charging infrastructure is a key barrier for rideshare drivers going electric.@bp_plc & Uber have signed a new deal using their global footprints to provide access to reliable & convenient charging, at ultra-fast speeds, helping drivers transition to EVs.

(Link in bio) pic.twitter.com/TAfExG3rg9

— Uber (@Uber) March 31, 2023

Since its launch in the MENA region, Uber has been investing efforts in improving the user experience on the app. This resulted in over 136 million trips requested through the platform across MENA receiving a five-star rating, according to the provider.

It also launched multiple global-firsts in the region, such as the daily mass-transport commute product, UberShuttle, which saw growth of 1.8x from 2021 to 2022 in Egypt and expanded to launch yet another global-first B2B service in 2022.

In other news, in January, the provider entered a strategic partnership with Dubai Airports to improve the on-ground commute experience of riders once they arrive at Dubai International Airport.

Read: Uber, Dubai Airports to enhance visitors’ on-ground commute experience