Appetite for seafood grows in Gulf Arab region

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Online searches for the last three years have revealed a strong demand for seafood across the Gulf region, according to recent data revealed by online digital marketing suite SEMrush on Sunday.

Fish Market in Sharjah, UAE. /VCG Photo

Results show that online searches the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia for the term "seafood" had significantly increased compared to three years ago, making seafood the fastest growing food protein being searched for by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.

Seafood at Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, Dubai, UAE. /VCG Photo

The Saudi online search for this term led the region's growth, registering an 820 percent increase, while UAE searches for the same increased 170 percent, said SEMrush.

The revelation was based on data compiled by SEMrush's digital marketing tools that covered the search volume for food protein terms like fish, beef, chicken, lamb and seafood be-tween 2015 and 2018.

A Kuwaiti fish vendor. /VCG Photo

During the same period in the UAE, searches for beef, chicken and lamb all grew by 50 percent.

As for Saudi Arabia in the same period, lamb and chicken registered 22 percent growth and beef 125 percent.

Seafood becoming the fastest growing food protein being searched for online in the Gulf Arab region. /VCG Photo

With 10 million inhabitants, The UAE, like most Gulf Arab desert countries, has to import 90 percent of its food.

(Cover: Fishermen from Persian Gulf Countries. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency