According to Marriott Bonvoy, maintaining fitness and working out regularly on holiday is a huge importance to the people of the UAE. 

Nine of 10 people from the Middle East make a conscious effort to work out during the holidays. Most of those who keep active during the holidays do not work out at home, so this typically shows the high interest while on vacation. 

To help maintain the travelers workout routines on holiday, Marriott Bonvoy has partnered with FitnessOnDemand™, to better enhance their services by providing access to an array of free virtual fitness classes to enjoy a quick workout from within their hotel rooms.

Keeping track of their health and fitness is one of the most important things you can do when traveling. The new research, from travel loyalty programme Marriott Bonvoy, found that travelers from the UAE and Saudi Arabia prioritize 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.

It seems that travelers 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 travelers from the Middle East (43% of people from the UAE and 45% of people from Saudi Arabia) feel unfit if they don’t work out 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.

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.”

The Divisional Vice President Uday Anumalachetty said: “It’s easier when you are traveling 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, 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.”

Marriott Bonvoy Members will be offered a seven-day access to 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.

To enroll in Marriott Bonvoy and explore the ways to blend travel with staying fit,  head to their website  

 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.