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Experts and managers of travel and tourism companies in the country report a wave of tourist offers currently being launched during the Eid al-Adha and summer holiday seasons, explaining that a stress period for flight and hotel bookings has already begun, pushing ticket prices to record levels.
According to available data, during the Eid al-Adha period, the price of air tickets to Beirut increased by 100%, compared with a 71% increase in air tickets to Amman, the capital of Jordan, and a 20% increase in air tickets to Istanbul compared with normal peaks.
Experts stressed the importance of booking early to get flight and hotel reservations at reasonable prices, explaining that postponing these reservations to the last minute can cause prices to increase and double.
They noted that European destinations attracted tourists’ attention during the summer holidays, pointing to other destinations such as Bosnia, Azerbaijan and Indian Ocean island nations such as the Maldives and Seychelles.
In addition, with Eid al-Adha approaching and the summer holidays just around the corner, the Wego app has revealed the most popular summer destinations for UAE travelers. According to the app’s data during last year’s summer holidays, up to 18% of travelers in the Middle East and North Africa booked through Wego one or two months before their travel date. However, 22% of travelers chose to wait until about a week before traveling.
With searches for Eid al-Adha and summer flights increasing every day, the app highlights a list of international destinations that are by far the most popular for travelers from the MENA region, including Egypt, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Thailand, Kuwait, Indonesia, UAE, Philippines and Jordan.
Additionally, the app noted that summer airfares have increased to almost all of these destinations compared to the same period earlier this year, with flights to Egypt now 42.7% more expensive on average, Jordan 64% more expensive, and India 32.1% more expensive on average.
Mamoun Humaidan, Chief Commercial Officer at Wego, said: “This list of popular destinations is indicative of repatriation flights and holidays for citizens as well as large expatriate communities. The vast majority of these countries can host citizens of GCC countries without the need for a visa.”
Meanwhile, the UK, Germany and Italy top Wego’s list of European summer destinations for MENA travelers. The UK’s continued popularity is particularly thanks to the new ETA (or Electronic Travel Authorization) system that allows GCC citizens to travel to the UK with ease.
“We always try to prepare preliminary offers before the holiday in order to give the traveler enough time to decide which destination he wants to visit in the summer,” said Wael Sanjed, general manager of Palm Oasis Travel. “Prices are relatively good at the moment, but they may keep rising from one season to another,” he added.
He continued: “The most important advice that can be given to our customers is to always make sure to book early… This summer we have received requests for trips to European destinations such as Poland, Switzerland and London, as well as to the Maldives and Seychelles, and for our part we are working hard to offer our customers new destinations and new experiences.”
“The current prices have increased compared to last year and will increase further as the summer season is approaching,” said Omar Al-Ali, CEO of projects and development at Nirvana Tourism.
“Our advice to the public is to proactively book travel tickets and hotels early to take advantage of affordable prices,” Ali added.
He continued: “European summer holiday destinations are attracting interest from tourists, such as France, Italy, the UK and Spain, and recently we have seen interest in several destinations including Poland and Norway.”
“Travel and tourism companies and offices have already started preparing for next summer, offering various programs and deals within and outside the UAE,” said tourism expert Saud Al Darmaki.
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