Whether they’re providing a service like ride-sharing or acting as a mere source of entertainment, mobile apps have become an integral part of many peoples’ day-to-day lives.

But which apps are most popular among users?

This graphic uses data from a recent report by Sensor Tower to show the top 10 most downloaded apps around the world in Q1 2022 from the Google Play and Apple App Store.

Social Reigns Supreme

According to the report, total app downloads reached 36.9 billion in Q1 2022, a 1.4% increase compared to Q1 2021.

A majority of the top 10 most downloaded apps were social media platforms, with Meta and ByteDance owning six of the top 10.

Meta’s four platforms on the list are Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger, while ByteDance owns TikTok and video-editing platform CapCut.

Just outside the top 10 are Zoom and WhatsApp Business (yet another Meta-owned app).

TikTok’s Winding Road to the Top

In Q1 2021, TikTok exceeded 3.5 billion all-time downloads, becoming the fifth app (and the first non-Meta app) to reach this milestone. This is impressive considering the app has been banned in India as of June 2020. Prior to the ban, India accounted for 30% of TikTok’s downloads.

India’s not the only country that’s banned the use of TikTok. Pakistan has blocked TikTok multiple times because of concerns over “inappropriate” content. However, it’s worth noting that the bans in Pakistan only lasted a few days before being lifted, and currently, Pakistanis are able to access the platform.

Top 10 Highest Grossing Apps

TikTok isn’t just the most downloaded app in the world—it’s also the highest-grossing non-game app, based on Q1 2022 revenue from the App Store and Google Play:

TikTok generated an impressive $821 million in consumer spending in the last quarter. The video-sharing platform was the top-grossing app on the App Store, and the second-highest-grossing on Google Play, coming just after Google One.

While none of Meta’s platforms made it onto the top 10 list for gross revenue, these platforms make a ton of money that doesn’t necessarily flow through app stores. In 2021, Meta generated more than $117.9 billion in revenue, with over 97% of that coming from ads.

Growth’s on the Horizon

The pandemic had a massive impact on the app market.

In 2020, app spending on things like premium access, in-app purchases, and subscriptions surged by 30% year-over-year to reach $111 billion.

And while COVID-19 restrictions are easing in most places around the world, app spending isn’t likely to taper off anytime soon. By 2025, spending is expected to grow to $270 billion.

Source VisualCapitalist

One of the hallmarks of democratic society is a healthy, free-flowing media ecosystem.

In times past, that media ecosystem would include various mass media outlets, from newspapers to cable TV networks. Today, the internet and social media platforms have greatly expanded the scope and reach of communication within society.

Of course, journalism plays a key role within that ecosystem. High quality journalism and the unprecedented transparency of social media keeps power structures in check—and sometimes, these forces can drive genuine societal change. Reporters bring us news from the front lines of conflict, and uncover hard truths through investigative journalism.

That said, these positive impacts are sometimes overshadowed by harmful practices and negative externalities occurring in the media ecosystem.

Many of the problems are easy to understand once they’re identified. However, in some cases, there is an interplay between these issues that is worth digging into.Below are a few of those instances.

Explicit Bias vs. Implicit Bias

Broadly speaking, bias in media breaks down into two types: explicit and implicit.

Publishers with explicit biases will overtly dictate the types of stories that are covered in their publications and control the framing of those stories. They usually have a political or ideological leaning, and these outlets will use narrative fallacies or false balance in an effort to push their own agenda.

Unintentional filtering or skewing of information is referred to as implicit bias, and this can manifest in a few different ways. For example, a publication may turn a blind eye to a topic or issue because it would paint an advertiser in a bad light. These are called no fly zones, and given the financial struggles of the news industry, these no fly zones are becoming increasingly treacherous territory.

Misinformation vs. Disinformation

Both of these terms imply that information being shared is not factually sound. The key difference is that misinformation is unintentional, and disinformation is deliberately created to deceive people.

Fake news stories, and concepts like deepfakes, fall into the latter category. We broke down the entire spectrum of fake news and how to spot it, in a previous infographic.

Simplify, Simplify

Mass media and social feeds are the ultimate Darwinistic scenario for ideas.

Through social media, stories are shared widely by many participants, and the most compelling framing usually wins out. More often than not, it’s the pithy, provocative posts that spread the furthest. This process strips context away from an idea, potentially warping its meaning.

Video clips shared on social platforms are a prime example of context stripping in action. An (often shocking) event occurs, and it generates a massive amount of discussion despite the complete lack of context.

This unintentionally encourages viewers to stereotype the persons in the video and bring our own preconceived ideas to the table to help fill in the gaps.

Members of the media are also looking for punchy story angles to capture attention and prove the point they’re making in an article. This can lead to cherrypicking facts and ideas. Cherrypicking is especially problematic because the facts are often correct, so they make sense at face value, however, they lack important context.

Simplified models of the world make for compelling narratives, like good-vs-evil, but situations are often far more complex than what meets the eye.

The News Media Squeeze

It’s no secret that journalism is facing lean times. Newsrooms are operating with much smaller teams and budgets, and one result is ‘churnalism’. This term refers to the practice of publishing articles directly from wire services and public relations releases.

Churnalism not only replaces more rigorous forms of reporting—but also acts as an avenue for advertising and propaganda that is harder to distinguish from the news.

The increased sense of urgency to drive revenue is causing other problems as well. High-quality content is increasingly being hidden behind paywalls.

The end result is a two-tiered system, with subscribers receiving thoughtful, high-quality news, and everyone else accessing shallow or sensationalized content. That everyone else isn’t just people with lower incomes, it also largely includes younger people. The average age of today’s paid news subscriber is 50 years old, raising questions about the future of the subscription business model.

For outlets that rely on advertising, desperate times have called for desperate measures. User experience has taken a backseat to ad impressions, with ad clutter (e.g. auto-play videos, pop-ups, and prompts) interrupting content at every turn. Meanwhile, in the background, third-party trackers are still watching your every digital move, despite all the privacy opt-in prompts.

How Can We Fix the Problems with Media?

With great influence comes great responsibility. There is no easy fix to the issues that plague news and social media. But the first step is identifying these issues, and talking about them.

The more media literate we collectively become, the better equipped we will be to reform these broken systems, and push for accuracy and transparency in the communication channels that bind society together.

Source VisualCapitalist

Pentagram New York won this year’s TDC68 Best of Show for identity work on behalf of the International Center of Photography.

Personal Judge’s Choice selections from each jury member were also unveiled. The list of Judge’s Choice TDC68 winners can be viewed here, and 25TDC Judges Choice winners here.

Young Ones TDC 2022 first-place student award winners in Communication Design were Laura Hilbert and Sarah Stendel, from Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach Offenbach am Main in Germany, who receive a $1,000 cash award. Second place went to Chuye Chen, Shanghai University Of Engineering Science.

The 2022 first-place student winner in Typeface Design was Neva Zidić from Master TypeMedia, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague.

Beatrice Warde Scholarship

TDC’s Beatrice Warde Scholarship 2022 recognizes a female-identifying college student globally in their next-to-last year of undergraduate study whose work demonstrates exceptional talent, sophistication, and skill in the use of typography across current media. The winner receives a $5,000 scholarship.

Winner: Doah Kwon, School of Visual Arts.

Honorable mentions:

Mariko Dreifuss, Fashion Institute of Technology
Zohina Karim, University of Houston
Ananya Mohan, Maryland Institute College of Art
Yuro Oh, School of Visual Arts
Ana Robles, Kansas City Art Institute
Parham Santana, Fashion Institute of Technology
Adé Hogue Scholarship

TDC this year renamed its Superscript Scholarship recognizing BIPOC students studying type design at a US college or university as the Adé Hogue Scholarship, in commemoration of gifted up-and-coming Chicago-based art director, designer, letterer, and avid cyclist Adé Hogue, who died as a result of a riding accident this past November. The winner receives a $5,000 scholarship.

Winner: Ana Robles, Kansas City Art Institute, who also received honorable mention in the Beatrice Warde competition.

Honorable mentions:

Lillian Ingabire, St. Olaf College
Lisa Wu Mo, Fashion Institute of Technology
Nishtha Nanda, Rhode Island School of Design
Victor Shin, Fashion Institute of Technology
Jabobjohn Vital, ArtCenter College of Design
David Jon Walker, Yale University School of Art
You Zhou, Pratt Institute

Winners of each scholarship also receive a one-year TDC student membership, which includes a copy of the TDC Annual Typography 43, and complimentary admission for all TDC events.

Both the Beatrice Warde and Adé Hogue scholarship programs are sponsored by Monotype. TDC Scholarship 2022:

In addition, TDC works directly each year with a number of schools and asks them to identify one student each who will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the organization.

TDC Scholarships for 2022 went to:

Andrius Alvarez-Backus, The Cooper Union
Catherine Currie, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
Elliot Jover, Fashion Institute of Technology
Anil (Alicia) Liu, School of Visual Arts
Sarah Ma, Parsons School of Design
Elina Pyrohova, Polish-Japanese Academy (Warsaw)
Anthony M. Sennett, Pratt Institute

DXC becomes Club’s Digital Transformation Partner, Principal Shirt Sleeve Partner, and Presenting Partner of Manchester United Foundation

Manchester United to tap DXC’s experience as a global leader in digital transformation

DXC Technology  and Manchester United have signed a major, multiyear partnership agreement as the football club turns to technology to transform its operations and enhance the football experience for its global fanbase.

Through the agreement, DXC will become principal partner of Manchester United focussed on the club’s digital transformation and innovation. As principal shirt sleeve partner, DXC will have a global presence on the shoulder of the team’s home, away and third kits. DXC will also become a partner of Manchester United Foundation, collaborating on the care it gives to the community.

“We are proud to welcome DXC as our principal partner for digital transformation, Manchester United Foundation and shirt sleeve in this exciting new era for the club,” said Victoria Timpson, Manchester United’s CEO of Alliances and Partnerships. “We are two organizations with a shared belief in the power of technology to win.”

As one of the world’s most globally recognized sports teams, Manchester United will work with DXC to become more data driven and optimize its digital offering to fans, helping to improve the way they engage and interact with the club.

“Through this partnership, Manchester United is turning to DXC for its experience in enterprise transformation as it strives to engage fans and inspire young people,” said Chris Drumgoole, Chief Operating Officer, DXC Technology. “Whether it’s running one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, or transforming business for Fortune 500 organizations, Manchester United and DXC are experts in running mission-critical activities. We stand united in delivering excellence.”

The agreement, which commences July 2022, covers the following areas:

Manchester United’s Digital Presence

DXC will deliver and develop Manchester United’s digital presence including the club’s website and media platforms, bringing a global community of 1.1 billion fans and followers closer to the heart of the club. Starting immediately, DXC will manage Manchester United’s app, which has users in 214 global territories and is the top downloaded sports app in 68 global markets. For example, DXC will streamline analytics data helping the club to deliver a more personalized experience for fans across the club’s digital channels.

Data Driven

With its experience in data analytics and engineering, DXC will help Manchester United to harness the power of data to enhance fan experience and certain business operations. In a first step, DXC and United will deliver a new data platform that will aggregate data across the club and enable new insights to inform strategic business planning and performance.

Partner to Manchester United Foundation

DXC will also become the Presenting Partner of Manchester United Foundation. The partnership will focus on how technology can have a positive impact on people, the environment, and society, working together to educate and inspire a new generation of STEM students, through digital workshops, programs and in-person seminars.

Digital Transformation Roadmap

DXC and Manchester United will work together to set a digital vision and strategy to help the club benefit from powerful emerging technologies as it prepares for opportunities of tomorrow. For example, DXC will work with the Man Utd Academy to support coaching staff with data analysis, tracking and reporting technologies.

Shirt Sleeve Partner

As principal shirt sleeve partner for the 2022/23 season, DXC will be visible on the club’s home, away and third kit, for the men’s, women’s and youth teams, receiving worldwide brand exposure to football’s expansive global audience. DXC joins Teamviewer and adidas as principal partners on the new kit which will be launched later this week.

“DXC’s technological expertise will help put Manchester United at the forefront of digital transformation, providing effective ways of working and new and exciting opportunities to interact with fans. The possibilities are endless, and we are looking forward to working with DXC on our future digital offerings,” added Victoria Timpson.

Design Bridge and Superunion will merge to create a single, world-leading design company, launching in January 2023

WPP announces the creation of a new company, Design Bridge and Partners, formed by the merger of Design Bridge and Superunion. Launching in January 2023, the new company will enable clients to leverage a full range of industry-leading design expertise, driving growth and transformation through consumer, business, lifestyle and experience design.

The complementary skills and client bases of Design Bridge and Superunion will make Design Bridge and Partners an industry leader in design, with centres of excellence in key locations worldwide and a client roster of leading brands. John Morris, currently CEO of Design Bridge, will take on the role of CEO of the new global business, in partnership with Jim Prior, currently CEO of Superunion, as Chair.

Design Bridge and Partners will bring together experts in every aspect of brand strategy and design (including graphic, motion, digital, physical and communication design) with a shared creative philosophy of using the power of exceptional design to solve business and societal challenges. The new company will also have a strong cultural focus on collaboration and nurturing talent. For existing talent there will be new growth opportunities such as upskilling across all areas of design, working with a broader range of leading clients, and increased mobility across a larger global company and the wider WPP network.

Design Bridge is recognised globally as one of the leading design agencies for consumer brands and counts among its clients Diageo, Unilever, Mastercard and Fortnum & Mason. Superunion is a multi-award-winning agency renowned for its expertise in corporate branding and brand experience work for clients such as NASA, Bank of America, Intel and the BBC.

The two agencies will continue to operate as separate entities until the end of the year and the structure and market-facing brands of the new company will be assessed in each market over the coming months based on client and local needs. The full management team and creative leadership will be announced in due course, comprising current leaders from Design Bridge and Superunion.

John Morris, CEO of Design Bridge and Partners, said; “It’s absolutely fantastic to be able to bring together two creative powerhouses in design. Marrying the ‘best of both’, Design Bridge and Partners will be truly formidable, offering greater benefit for our clients through shared expertise and, importantly, many more opportunities for our people to grow.”

Jim Prior, Chair of Design Bridge and Partners, said: “This is a perfect fusion of creative excellence that will deliver extraordinary results for our clients and our people. It is an exciting opportunity for us to take the lead in delivering the true power of design as a force for positive change in the world.”

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “Design Bridge and Partners will be a leader in design and an important part of our simpler, future-facing client offer. Formed from two successful companies in Design Bridge and Superunion, it will create new growth opportunities both for our people and our clients.”

Emma Follett, Chief Creative Officer of Design Bridge and Greg Quinton, Chief Creative Officer of Superunion, said: “It’s a pleasure to be working in partnership with creatives we have long admired and we’re delighted that we now have the opportunity to collaborate, combine our shared values and use the power of our creativity to make a difference for our clients.”

The move follows the successful combination of other WPP agencies to create AKQA Group, BCW, EssenceMediacom, VMLY&R, Wunderman Thompson and most recently FGS Global. Addressing client needs for simpler, more integrated, creative and technology-driven solutions, these agencies have been among WPP’s best-performing companies.

Pinterest, Inc. announced that co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and President, Ben Silbermann will transition to the newly created role of Executive Chairman, and online commerce expert Bill Ready will become Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective June 29, 2022.

Ready is joining Pinterest from Google, where he served as President of Commerce, Payments & Next Billion Users and oversaw Google’s vision, strategy and the delivery of its commerce products. Prior to Google, Ready served in various senior leadership roles at PayPal, including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

With over 400 million monthly active users, Pinterest has built a healthy advertising business that generated strong cash flow and doubled revenue during the pandemic. In addition, Pinterest has been laser-focused on putting Pinners first, continuously improving its roadmap, investing in creators, shopping and scaling internationally.

“Building Pinterest with such a wildly talented, kind and creative team has been the gift of a lifetime,” said Silbermann. “Today, Pinterest inspires hundreds of millions of people with ideas for every aspect of their lives. We’ve built a growing global business that puts the well-being of our users at the core of everything we do. And we’re just getting started.”

Silbermann continued, “In our next chapter, we are focused on helping Pinners buy, try and act on all the great ideas they see. Bill is a great leader for this transition. He is a builder who deeply understands commerce and payments. And he shares our passion for creating a positive corner of the Internet. I’m confident he’s going to be an outstanding CEO.”

“On behalf of the Board, I am thrilled to welcome Bill to the Pinterest team,” said Andrea Wishom, Pinterest Board Lead Independent Director. “Bill is a proven leader, whose experience in payments, product development, and shopping uniquely positions him to take Pinterest to its next phase of growth. It is a testament to the remarkable vision and leadership of Ben that we are able to welcome Bill, who shares similar values. The Board and I look forward to working with them both to accelerate Pinterest's strategy of bringing everyone the inspiration to create the life they love.”

“There’s no better time to join Pinterest,” said Ready. "I have long admired the brand and platform that Ben and the Pinterest team have created and everything the Company stands for. I am excited to build on that foundation to further scale the Company’s ecosystem and drive increased value for shareholders. Having built multiple businesses from zero and operated at the scale of billions of users, I have a deep appreciation for what it takes to scale a business like this to the next level. I look forward to working closely with Ben, the Board and the rest of the leadership team to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead and usher in Pinterest’s next chapter of growth and success.”

Over 332 million people worldwide use Snapchat every day to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.

We’ve always enjoyed creating new features for our community, and historically we’ve tested new features in different ways, rolling them out to various Snapchatters and geographies.

Snapchat is starting to roll out Snapchat+, a collection of exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features available in Snapchat for $3.99/month. This subscription will allow us to deliver new Snapchat features to some of the most passionate members of our community and allow us to provide prioritized support.

Snapchat+ will be available at launch in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. We’ll expand to more countries over time. Just tap Snapchat+ on your Snapchat profile to get started.

We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback on Snapchat+ and we can’t wait for you to try our latest products and features.

The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) hosted its first-ever edition of the Arabic Communications Awards signaling a new dawn for the regional Arab-speaking brand and corporate communications practitioners.

Attended by over 150 guests, the inaugural Arabic Communications MEPRA Awards was a welcome addition to MEPRA’s awards scheme having attracted over 20 public relations agencies and in-house communication teams jostling for top honours in 22 categories.

The Arabic MEPRA Awards – as envisioned by Taryam Al Subaihi, Chairperson, MEPRA - included a special focus on the most notable Arabic-centred communication campaigns conceptualised and executed in response to COVID-19. Apart from being submitted in Arabic, the campaigns must also have been published and delivered in Arabic to qualify for entry.

The first award of the night for the main category - Best Community Outreach Campaign - was scooped by Place Communications for the Unified Champion Schools - Place Communications with Special Olympics UAE campaign while the Best Covid Response Campaign went to Action Global Communications for their ADEK - Back to School 2021-22 campaign.

The Arabic Communications MEPRA Awards Team of the Year went to Mubadala Ambassador Program, for their outstanding achievements, performance and demonstration of excellence in the field of communications over the last 12 months.

The Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year award went to May Obeid from FOUR Communications in recognition for her exemplary achievements and overall performance as a promising young communicator who is making a valuable contribution to her organisation as well as exhibiting enormous potential as a future leader.

“It’s indeed a historic moment not just for MEPRA but for the entire Middle East communication industry and most importantly, Arab-speaking PR practitioners. This is the first time that MEPRA is recognising and honouring Arabic communication excellence - a long overdue fete they so rightly deserve. Arabic communication has and continues to be instrumental in creating synergies between institutions and their target audiences in a language they understand,” said Taryam.

Other notable winners included FOUR Communications for Best Government Communications & Public Affairs Campaign, W7Worldwide for Best Creative approach in response to Covid 19 and Best Launch/Live Event/Stunt, Acorn Strategy for Best Internal Communications Campaign, ASDA’A BCW for Best Integrated Campaign, Hill+Knowlton Strategies for Best Use of Social Media, ASDA’A BCW for Best Website Content Creation and FOUR MENA Best Use of Influencers.

The Best Use of Media Relations award went to ASDA’A BCW while Weber Shandwick scooped the Best Use of Video award for their creative approach and strategic use of video material in their PR campaign. 

In the Student and Academia category, Outstanding Student Campaign, Mariam Eldaly from Middlesex University emerged as the winner in a hotly contested race. The category seeks to recognise excellence in a communications campaign proposal developed by a currently enrolled student in response to a client brief provided by MEPRA. 

In his inspiring keynote, Rashid Al Awadhi, vice chairperson MEPRA and CEO, New Media Academy commended all the winners and nominees for their dedication to Arabic communications and encouraged them to use their skills and knowledge to deliver Arabic PR campaigns that impact society in a positive way.

The event was also graced by Maryam Bin Fahad, one of the UAE’s youngest ambitious leaders in the Emirate media. Her passion for media is reflected in her numerous achievements including her recent appointment as Media Advisor to the Minister of State and the National Media Council for the UAE. Others included Ahmed Al Marzooqui, a UAE-based finance content creator and Hamad Al Harthi, one of UAE’s youngest entrepreneurs, content creators and Emirati public speakers.

The premier Arabic Communications Awards scheme was mooted with the sole aim of shining a spotlight on impactful and transformative Arabic content while highlighting the importance of the Arabic language in the communications industry within the Middle East. 

This, according to MEPRA, is in line with its objective to achieve its vision of being the unique voice that represents the public relations and communication profession in the Middle East and its mission to raise awareness and build a holistic understanding of public relations in the region.

The One Club for Creativity announced three talented creatives from UAE, Iran and Israel who will serve on the global jury for the Young Guns 20, celebrating creative professionals age 30 or younger.

Young Guns is the industry’s only global, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies and celebrates today’s vanguard of young creatives.  The program is open to creatives age 30 and under who have been working for at least two years, full-time or freelance, and regularly attracts entries from upwards of 45 countries.

Representing MENA on the global Young Guns 20 jury, many of whom are past YG winners, are:

Paulo Engler, CD, Fp7 McCann, Dubai

Oren Meir, ECD, CEO, Addict Israel, Haifa

Mitra Shahsavand, design director, founder, Mitra Shahsavand Design Studio, Tehran

The complete list of Young Guns 20 judges can be viewed HERE.

The online entry system is open, with the reduced-fee early deadline of June 30, 2022, regular deadline July 14, 2022 and final deadline July 28, 2022.  Winners will be announced in the fall.

Eligible entrants can submit a combination of professional and personal work in graphic design; advertising art direction and copywriting; architectural, environmental and interior design; industrial and product design; digital (UX/UI, experiential design, interactive, web design, apps, game development): film and animation (motion design, television, video); fashion; typography and lettering; illustration and photography.

All Young Guns winners receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this year’s incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website.  Winners also receive a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, a chance to be featured in Young Guns events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from Young Guns sponsors.

Program branding and design of the Cube award itself is reimagined each year by a past Young Gun winner.  This year’s YG20 branding and award are designed by Zipeng Zhu (YG13), founder and creative director at Dazzle Studio New York.  The font for the YG20 branding is created by NaN Berlin.

Levine/Leavitt Artist In Residence Award

For the ninth consecutive year, international artists management agency and Young Guns sponsor Levine/Leavitt will bestow one talented winner with the Artist In Residence Award.

The honor is presented annually to a newly crowned Young Gun whose body of work truly stands out, as judged by an advisory board of industry professionals across a range of disciplines.  The winner receives a full year of professional development, guidance and mentorship from Levine/Leavitt to help advance their career.  

Young Guns 20 and other One Club activities are made possible in part through the generous support of sponsors including Levine/Leavitt and Shutterstock. 

Two in five intend to take an international trip in the next 12 months as compared to three in ten who want to travel domestically

As global travel opens up after two years of restrictions amidst the pandemic,  YouGov’s latest report “Youth of Today, Travel of Tomorrow” reveals more than two in five Gen Zs (those aged 18-24 years) in the UAE (43%) said they intend to travel abroad for leisure in the next 12 months, with intent for international travel within this cohort being one of the highest across the globe.

The report aims to understand Gen Zs globally, explores what matters to them as well as uncovers their expectations from travel, and identifies the best ways to connect and engage with this generation of travellers.

Data from the whitepaper shows that three-quarters of Gen Zs across the globe plan to undertake some form of travel in the next 12 months (75%). By comparing Gen Z’s future intent to take domestic or international vacations across 25 surveyed markets, we find that those in Asian countries like Indonesia (57%), Thailand (55%) and Malaysia (54%) have a greater desire to vacation domestically in the next 12 months. On the other hand, those in Europe, particularly Germany (50%), Denmark (47%) and France (43%), are more inclined to go for an international vacation. Gen Zs in the UAE stand out in terms of international travel sentiment, with a higher proportion planning to take an international trip than domestic in the next 12 months (43% VS 30%).

When it comes to choice of accommodations while travelling, GenZs in most surveyed markets report budget-friendly hotels as their primary accommodation type, but in about 20 of the 25 surveyed countries, luxury accommodations rank among the top three choices. However, its popularity is higher in Middle Eastern countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where it ranks as the number one accommodation type.

In terms of factors that influence choice of travel destination, the ease of travel and deals on flights, hotels, and activities are top considerations for Gen Z in UAE with nearly two in five (41% each) stating these reasons as most important drivers. Comparatively, travel brochures (16%) and recommendations from travel agents (21%) rank lower on the list of factors influencing destination choice. For travel marketers and tourism boards, this is an important insight as it shows that lucrative price deals and comfort may together act as a better proposition for Gen Z travelers.

Furthermore, we see that Gen Z, also known as the "digital natives", are very dependent on technology, and social media plays a major part of their lives. Data from YouGov Custom Research indicates that about nine in ten (88%) Gen Z consumers currently follow a social media influencer and out of these, almost one in five (19%) follow a travel influencer. When we look  at travel influencer following by country, we find that Gen Zs in UAE are more likely to follow a travel influencer than the global average (23% vs 19%). For travel companies, this presents an array of opportunities to channel their efforts towards influencer campaigns and online promotions in order to target and engage this digitally savvy generation of travellers.