Middle East Markets Social Media Benchmarks: Accommodation Q2 2026

What’s in this report

In Q2 2026, Accommodation brands in Middle East Markets saw median Instagram engagement rates approach 3.0%, while Facebook engagement trailed at around 1.6%. Live Video remained the clear standout on Facebook, while Reels and Carousels led organic performance on Instagram. On the paid side, Facebook feed delivered the lowest CPC and the highest CTR of any placement, even though the bulk of ad spend continues to flow to Instagram feed and Instagram Reels.

This quarterly benchmarks report pulls from Emplifi’s dataset of 502 Facebook pages and 338 Instagram profiles across Middle East Markets, covering April 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026.

User-generated content: what’s achievable

Brands using Emplifi’s UGC solution this quarter saw:

• 19.88x increase in conversion rate
• 5.06x increase in website visits
• 1.08x increase in average order value

These figures represent the median uplift seen across Emplifi’s Brands UGC Accounts Benchmark for Q2 2026.

Organic performance: Facebook and Instagram

Interaction share by industry

On Facebook, Retail accounts for 20.8% of total brand interactions — the highest share of any category. On Instagram, Retail also leads with 20.7% of interactions. Accommodation itself is a smaller slice of the regional picture, sharing 1.2% of total Facebook interactions and 1.0% of total Instagram interactions among Middle East Markets brand pages and profiles.

Facebook interaction distribution (Q2 2026):

Instagram interaction distribution (Q2 2026):

Platform landscape at a glance

In Middle East Markets, the median number of Instagram followers for Accommodation accounts is almost the same as the median number of Facebook fans. The chart behind this comparison doesn’t carry printed numeric labels, so the figures below reflect the relative (not absolute) comparison Emplifi’s data shows.

Activity volume on both platforms is higher on Instagram than Facebook, while user engagement on Instagram also outpaces Facebook.

Median post interactions

Median post interactions track the middle-ranked page or profile by monthly interactions — a measure of typical performance rather than outlier peaks.

Instagram median post interactions declined steadily from around 34 in May 2025 to about 19 by Q2 2026, with a brief uptick in February 2026. Facebook held broadly flat and low across the full period, hovering in the 4-6 range throughout.

Relative median post interactions

Relative median interactions index each platform’s performance against its own peak over the reporting period, making it easier to compare directional trends across platforms regardless of absolute scale.

By Q2 2026, Facebook’s relative median interactions sat at around 66% of its 12-month peak, while Instagram had slipped further to about 55% of its own peak — both platforms trending downward from their mid-2025 highs.

Median post impressions

Impressions measure how many times posts were displayed, regardless of interaction. This metric is available for both platforms and reflects reach rather than engagement.

Instagram impressions climbed sharply from mid-2025, peaking at around 6,300 in August 2025, before declining steadily to approximately 1,500 by Q2 2026. Facebook impressions remained low and comparatively flat throughout the period, ending near 1,250.

Engagement rate trends

Median post engagement rates this quarter:

• Instagram: ~3.0%
• Facebook: ~1.6%

Instagram engagement trended gradually upward over the past year, ending Q2 2026 near its highest point of the period. Facebook engagement also edged upward over the same stretch, but remained under 2% throughout.

Best-performing post types

Facebook: Live Video and standard Video continue to outperform other formats organically. In Q2 2026, Live Video generated a median of 23 post interactions, while standard Video reached 3.

Instagram: Carousel and Reel posts lead organic performance. Carousels generated a median of 23 post interactions this quarter; Reels reached 27.

Full organic post type performance (Q2 2026):

Post type distribution trends:

On Facebook, Photo remains the dominant post format at around 64% of posts, though Reels are gaining share steadily — rising from near zero earlier in the year to approximately 30% by Q2 2026. On Instagram, Reels, Images, and Carousels each account for roughly a third of posts published, with Reels and Carousels driving the majority of top-performing content.

Top performing pages and profiles

Facebook — top pages by total interactions (Q2 2026):

Instagram — top profiles by total interactions (Q2 2026):

Top posts this quarter

The highest-performing individual posts by interactions across Middle East Markets brands in Q2 2026:

Facebook:

Instagram:

How does your brand compare?

These benchmarks reflect median performance across thousands of brands in Emplifi’s dataset. Get a free personalized assessment to see exactly where your brand stands today.

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Paid performance: Facebook and Instagram ads

Where brands are spending

The majority of paid spend for Middle East Markets brands goes to IG feed, followed by IG instagram reels and FB feed. Spending on IG feed is 1.78 percentage points higher than on IG instagram reels.

CPC and CPM by placement

The most cost-efficient placements for Middle East Markets brands this quarter:

• Lowest CPC: FB feed, FB facebook reels, and IG instagram reels
• Lowest CPM: FB facebook reels, FB feed, and IG instagram reels

CPC and CPM by placement (Q2 2026):

Click-through rate by placement

Within the Middle East Markets brands benchmark, FB feed leads on CTR at 1.35%, compared to IG feed at 0.72%.

CTR by placement (Q2 2026):

Cost trends over time

Q2 2026 ad cost benchmarks for Middle East Markets:

Accommodation in Middle East Markets does not have its own dedicated ad-account breakout this quarter — only the region-wide “Middle East Markets Ad Accounts Benchmark” is available — so the brands benchmark and region-overall figures above are identical. CPC held in a narrow $0.08–$0.10 band across the past year, ending Q2 2026 at around $0.08. CPM was similarly stable in the $0.65–$0.85 range, closing near $0.86. CTR trended gradually upward over the period, from around 0.85% a year ago to approximately 1.03% by Q2 2026.