Business travel in the GCC is back—and it’s not just rebounding, it’s evolving. The region is experiencing a shift in how, why, and where companies travel. From Saudi megaprojects to Dubai's global events calendar, the Gulf is once again a hotspot for in-person business, but with new expectations around efficiency, flexibility, and control.
If you're managing travel in the UAE, KSA, Qatar, or beyond, staying ahead of the trends isn’t optional—it’s how you cut waste, improve experience, and stay competitive.
Here are the top GCC business travel trends in 2025, and how Kitt helps you navigate them with confidence.
1. In-Person Meetings Are Back—But With Stricter Justification
GCC businesses have embraced hybrid work, but face-to-face meetings still dominate for closing deals, managing clients, and building trust—especially in relationship-driven markets like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
That said, companies are scrutinizing the ROI of each trip. In 2025, every flight must be tied to a clear business outcome: revenue, retention, or strategic alignment.
Kitt helps companies tag each trip with its purpose, track travel linked to outcomes, and spot patterns—so CFOs can back in-person travel with real data, not gut instinct.
2. Internal Travel Is on the Rise
As more companies expand across KSA, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt, cross-office travel has increased. Teams fly for internal offsites, operational alignment, and talent training.
This travel is essential—but costly if unmanaged.
Kitt lets you:
Create cost centers like “HR” or “Ops” for internal trips
Track internal travel spend by cost centre or department
Streamline approvals by department
In short: you can support internal collaboration without letting it drain your budget.
3. Premium Economy is the New Business Class
Budgets are tighter, but comfort still matters—especially on long regional flights or multi-city itineraries. In 2025, more companies are choosing premium economy as the sweet spot between cost and comfort.
Kitt allows travel managers to set fare class rules dynamically—like:
“Allow premium economy for flights over 4 hours”
“Auto-approve business class only with justification”
“Show only refundable economy for short-haul routes”
This ensures that employees get what they need without pushing policies to the limit.
4. Last-Minute Travel is Being Actively Discouraged
Companies across the GCC are cracking down on last-minute bookings—one of the most avoidable sources of overspend.
Why?
Flights from DXB to RUH or DOH booked <48 hours out can cost 40–70% more
Hotel prices near expo or conference dates spike with short notice
Kitt lets you set minimum booking lead times, track behavior by team, and prompt users to book early with helpful nudges like:
“Booking this flight 3 days earlier would’ve saved AED 480.”
Over time, these nudges shape better habits—and lower costs.
5. Data-Driven Travel Management Is Now Expected
Gone are the days of guessing how much your company spends on travel. In 2025, CFOs in the GCC demand real-time insights into:
Spend by department or cost center
Policy compliance
ROI per trip type or region
With Kitt, these insights aren’t just available—they’re automatic. You get live dashboards, downloadable reports, and visibility into every trip as it's booked—not weeks later.
6. Saudi Arabia Is Leading the Destination Shift
As Saudi Vision 2030 accelerates, KSA has become a top destination for business travel in the GCC. From Neom to Riyadh to Jeddah, demand is booming for flights, hotels, and mobility.
This presents both an opportunity and a challenge:
Airfare and hotel pricing can be volatile
Visa rules vary based on nationality and sector
Infrastructure is improving fast, but still uneven
Kitt supports this shift with:
Dynamic fare monitoring on KSA routes
Centralized booking for multi-destination trips
Smart tagging so your team can track KSA-specific spend
Planning frequent Saudi trips? Kitt keeps your travel organized, compliant, and cost-effective.
7. Local Support Is a Must-Have
Travel issues don’t always happen 9–5—or in your home time zone. And when your team is flying across the Gulf, local, responsive support becomes non-negotiable.
Kitt’s UAE-based support team understands the GCC context, regional airline quirks, and how to resolve issues quickly without back-and-forth. That means faster problem-solving, happier travelers, and fewer escalations.
8. More Teams Are Moving to Self-Serve Booking—with Guardrails
Travel managers and office admins can’t keep up with every request. In 2025, companies are empowering employees to book their own trips—within policy.
Self-serve travel doesn’t mean chaos. With Kitt, you can:
Show only compliant flight and hotel options
Assign each user a default cost center
Flag out-of-policy trips for quick review
Track spend by user, team, and region
The result? Empowered employees, controlled costs, and far less back-and-forth.
9. Spend Consolidation is the New Play
In 2025, finance teams want one invoice, one dashboard, one platform. No more chasing down receipts from Skyscanner, Booking.com, or offline agents.
Kitt consolidates your entire travel program into one ecosystem:
One-click bookings for flights and hotels
Invoices tagged by cost center and purpose
Real-time spend reports for leadership
Custom export tools for accounting
This gives your finance team clarity—and saves them hours every month.
Final Thoughts
Business travel in the GCC isn’t going back to how it was. It’s becoming more intentional, data-driven, and structured. Companies that adapt will save money, travel smarter, and keep their teams productive across borders.
Whether you're scaling across KSA, organizing trips across the UAE, or managing growing internal mobility, Kitt is the travel platform built for modern GCC businesses.
