Business Reporter
Karachi: Visa, a global leader in digital payments, today released its latest consumer spending insights for the 2025 summer holiday period in Pakistan, based on the Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) Retail Spend Monitor. The data shows a 36% increase in total summer spending on Visa premium consumer cards compared to 2024, underscoring the rapid growth of digital payments, higher-value transactions, and evolving travel preferences.
Shifting Consumer Behavior
Spending patterns revealed significant changes this summer. Emerging travel destinations gained popularity, with a 63% rise in outbound travel, while domestic staycations increased by 26%. Planning habits varied: 7% of travelers booked more than three months in advance, 9% planned within 1–3 months, and the majority (84%) made last-minute plans within a month—reflecting the flexibility offered by digital payment solutions.
Dining and leisure spending rose by 57%, while digital payments by premium Visa cardholders surged 110%, accounting for 35% of overall summer spend.
Travel Trends: Short Escapes vs. Extended Getaways
Both short trips (under 3 days) and extended holidays remained popular, but longer getaways dominated with 66% of travel spend, generating higher average expenditures.
Outbound and Inbound Travel
Outbound travel saw a major shift toward emerging destinations, including Malaysia, Thailand, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Switzerland, and Indonesia, marking a 63% increase. Premium Visa cardholders boosted outbound travel spend by 11%, contributing nearly 80% of total summer travel spend.
Inbound travel spending by premium cardholders from the Gulf (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain) and Africa (South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi) rose by 33%. Spending from European visitors, especially the UK, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Belgium, increased by 44%.
Digital and eCommerce Growth
Premium Visa cardholders showed strong adoption of digital and eCommerce channels, with digital spend up 110% and eCommerce spend rising 19%, reflecting a shift toward alternative payment methods.
Umar Khan, Country Manager for Visa in Pakistan & Afghanistan, said:
“Consumers in Pakistan are embracing digital payment options and experiences more than ever this summer. Visa is proud to enable secure, seamless, and inclusive payment solutions—whether people are exploring abroad or enjoying staycations at home. With trust and innovation, we remain committed to empowering every journey.”
Nicolas Khoury, SVP and Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA, added:
“With VisaNet scale and VCA’s regional expertise, Visa provides clients with actionable insights into evolving consumer behaviors—helping them plan strategically, adapt quickly, and unlock growth opportunities during key moments like the summer holidays.”
Visa’s Retail Spend Monitor captured retail, travel, and experience-related activity during Pakistan’s summer holiday season (July 1–August 15, 2025), using a subset of VisaNet data and survey-based estimates for other payment methods.
