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- Nine in 10 people from the Middle East make a conscious effort to exercise on holiday and half of those don’t normally workout at home, showing an increased interest in fitness while away
- Nearly half of all travellers from the UAE and Saudi Arabia feel unfit if they don’t work out and over a quarter feel guilty
- To help travellers with their workout regimes on holiday, Marriott Bonvoy has partnered with FitnessOnDemand™, providing access to a range of free virtual fitness classes from the comfort of their hotel room
UAE – Looking after their health and fitness is of huge importance to travellers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia when they go on holiday, with nine in ten (92% of people from the UAE and 91% of people from Saudi Arabia) proactively working out when they go away. The new research, from travel loyalty programme Marriott Bonvoy, found that travellers from the UAE and Saudi Arabia prioritise fitness when they go on holiday, considering half of those (58% of people from the UAE and 50% of people from Saudi Arabia) don’t even normally work out at home.
Looking after their mental health is the biggest driver for working out for the majority of people. Nearly half (46% of people from the UAE and 48% of people from Saudi Arabia) agree that exercise on holiday is good for their mental wellbeing and helps them to return home in a better state of mind, and a third (31% of people from the UAE and 27% of people from Saudi Arabia) believe it allows them to spend time alone and prioritise their self-care. As a result, a quarter of all people from the Middle East (26% of people from the UAE and 24% of people from Saudi Arabia) always make a conscious effort to work out on holiday so that their fitness regime doesn’t get disrupted.
It seems that travellers from the UAE and Saudi Arabia like to indulge on holiday too, with two fifths (43% of people from the UAE and 44% of people from Saudi Arabia) exercising because they feel they need to burn off the extra calories they consume while away.
Nearly half of all travellers from the Middle East (43% of people from the UAE and 45% of people from Saudi Arabia) feel unfit if they don’t workout and over a quarter (26% of people from the UAE and 28% of people from Saudi Arabia) feel guilty. Furthermore, over a third (36% of people from both the UAE and Saudi Arabia) feel overweight when they return home if they don’t exercise while away.
In order to make it easy and efficient for travellers to workout, whether on holiday or travelling for work, Marriott Bonvoy has partnered with FitnessOnDemand™, a worldwide leader in on-demand fitness and wellness content for hotels, hospitality, and fitness clubs. The partnership offers members free access to a range of virtual fitness classes that people can access from the comfort of their hotel room, the beach, the pool or the hotel gym, either online or via the FitnessOnDemand™ app.
Despite the best of intentions, four fifths of people from the Middle East (85% of people from the UAE and 77% of people from Saudi Arabia) who exercise on holiday have suffered a workout faux pas. A quarter (25% of people from the UAE and 26% of people from Saudi Arabia) have suffered from heat stroke when exercising in the sun and over a quarter (26% of people from the UAE and 21% of people from Saudi Arabia) have got lost when going for a run or cycle in the local area. Furthermore, a quarter (26% of people from the UAE and 24% of people from Saudi Arabia) have felt uncomfortable in an unfamiliar gym, and 20% of people in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been worried about embarrassing themselves as they didn’t know how to use the gym equipment.
When it comes to travellers' most popular form of exercise on holiday, going for a run around the local town takes the pole position (40% of people in the UAE and 44% of people from Saudi Arabia). More than a fifth (23% of people from the UAE and 28% of people from Saudi Arabia) would like to take up yoga but don’t feel they are able to, possibly because they don’t have access while away.
Neal Jones, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Marriott International - Europe, Middle East & Africa: “The link between exercise and looking after our mental wellbeing is well established and it’s great to see that people from the the UAE and Saudi Arabia aren’t letting this drop when they go on holiday. In fact more people are taking up exercise on their holidays and we want to make it as easy as possible for people to do so. That’s why we’re delighted to offer our members free access to FitnessOnDemand™, so that they can workout from the comfort of their hotel room whenever it suits them. Plus, they can take part in classes like meditation that they may not have tried before and come back completely refreshed.”
Marriott Bonvoy Members will be offered a seven-day access of the FitnessOnDemand™ workout platform every time they stay at a participating hotel. Over 450 hotels and resorts across Europe, Middle East & Africa are offering this new Marriott Bonvoy member exclusive benefit. The programme can be used in the hotel room, by the pool, on the beach and in some hotel’s fitness facilities, giving full flexibility.
“It’s easier when you are travelling to stay on track with your fitness goals when you feel a class or a workout is familiar and similar to the activities you enjoy in your own gym,” said Uday Anumalachetty, Divisional Vice President, FitnessOnDemand. “Members at participating hotels can now access any one of hundreds of core-strength, cardio and specialty classes that feel just like the classes they take at home, making it quick, easy and painless to press play and workout.”
To enrol in Marriott Bonvoy and discover how to blend travel with staying on track with exercise visit Marriott.com/FitnessOnDemand.
To access FitnessOnDemand™, members simply scan a QR code provided by the hotel, complete their registration details to receive a verification email and connect online or via the app.
Although Marriott Bonvoy members receive a complimentary seven-day access to the platform on each and every stay, they have the option to continue using it longer by subscribing for $5.99/month via the mobile app on any iOS or Android device.
Attitudes to working out on holiday across Europe, the Middle East and South Africa:
- UAE - 92% proactively work out on holiday
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia- 91% proactively work out on holiday
- South Africa - 80% proactively work out on holiday
- France - 78% proactively work out on holiday
- Spain - 74% proactively work out on holiday
- Italy - 73% proactively work out on holiday
- Germany - 66% proactively work out on holiday
- UK - 53% proactively work out on holiday
Top exercises adults from the UAE like to do on holiday:
- Going for a run in the local area around the town (40%)
- Working out in the hotel gym (38%)
- Working out in an external gym in the local area (38%)
- Swimming (37%)
- Going for a run on the beach (36%)
- Working out in my hotel room (25%)
- Cycling (24%)
- Attending a fitness class with an instructor in the hotel or locally (23%)
- Yoga (21%)
- Doing non-equipment based exercises in my room e.g. situps, squats, press-ups (20%)
Top exercises adults from Saudi Arabia like to do on holiday:
- Going for a run in the local area around the town (44%)
- Working out in the hotel gym (36%)
- Working out in an external gym in the local area (36%)
- Swimming (32%)
- Going for a run on the beach (31%)
- Working out in my hotel room (23%)
- Doing non-equipment based exercises in my room e.g. situps, squats, press-ups (22%)
- Attending a fitness class with an instructor in the hotel or locally (21%)
- Cycling (20%)
- Meditation (18%)
Top exercises adults from the UAE would like to do on holiday but feel they can’t:
- Yoga (23%)
- Gym (32%)
- Meditation (28%)
- Sports (25%)
- Spin class (25%)
- Cardio workouts (23%)
- Wider fitness classes (22%)
- Zumba (17%)
- Aerobics (16%)
- Circuit training (15%)
Top exercises adults from Saudi Arabia would like to do on holiday but feel they can’t:
- Yoga (28%)
- Gym (27%)
- Meditation (26%)
- Spin class (26%)
- Wider fitness classes (25%)
- Cardio workouts (23%)
- Sports (22%)
- Zumba (18%)
- Aerobics (15%)
- Circuit training (15%)
Research Methedology
The research was conducted amongst 2,008 adults from the UAE and 2,078 adults from Saudi Arabia between 16th and 22nd December 2022. Nationally representative. Part of a wider study of 16,000 adults across Europe, the Middle East and South Africa.
The figures are from new research from Marriott Bonvoy, the all-encompassing travel programme where members earn and redeem points seamlessly around the world at nearly 8200 hotels, all-inclusive resorts, and home rentals through Homes & Villas by Marriott International. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments, or for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques.
About Marriott Bonvoy®
Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s award-winning travel program and marketplace, gives members access to transformative, eye-opening experiences around the corner and across the globe. Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands offers renowned hospitality in the most memorable destinations in the world. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, as well as through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments, or through partners for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. With the Marriott Bonvoy app, members enjoy a level of personalization and contactless experience that allows them to travel with peace of mind. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit marriottbonvoy.com. To download the Marriott app, go here. Travellers can also connect with Marriott Bonvoy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok.
About Fitness OnDemand™ (www.FODvirtual.com)
Fitness OnDemand™ is a global leader in the collection, curation and provision of high-quality, premium digital fitness content from some of the world’s leading names and experts in personalized fitness. The company helps club operators of all sizes and type from commercial fitness club networks to hospitality and multi-family unit fitness facility managers provide comprehensive, state of the art and immersive fitness experiences to the members, guests and residents that are important to their business. Offerings include more than 1,000 curated instructor-led classes, emerging fitness trend content, meditation, wellness and wind down as well as content from world class creators including Jillian Michaels, SH1FT, Sweat Factor, Zumba & Strong by Zumba and many more. Club operators using FitnessOnDemand can provide in-club, at home and mobile access to FOD on-demand content as well as stream live instructor classes from their clubs all in one, brandable platform.
