Within this demographic, over a third of respondents strongly agreed they have had to change or cancel upcoming domestic (36 percent) and international (41 percent) plans, according to a survey by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Generation X travellers are a lucrative market, and operators should be utilising this time to restore confidence within the market and identifying future opportunity.

GlobalData found that 65 percent of UAE respondents in this age range remain extremely concerned about the global outbreak of COVID-19. Generation X is more risk averse than younger generations due to greater concerns surrounding health and safety, which reflects why their trips have been the impacted the most.

Johanna Bonhill-Smith, travel and Tourism Analyst, GlobalData, commented: “As demand has been disrupted, there does lie opportunity for future travel. One opportunity that operators could consider is personal health and well-being as 77 percent of Generation X aspire to hear such tips from businesses right now. A well targeted campaign highlighting the health and social benefits of an experience, will likely be more memorable, servicing future demand when restrictions lift.