UAE tourism: Top summer destinations for residents revealed – News

Residents keep budget in mind when planning vacations, travel agency says

Many UAE residents are smartly planning their holidays this summer with budgets in mind, contingencies in mind and new overseas locations to choose from.

With travelers anticipating delays and cancellations due to ongoing disruptions at UK and other European airports, many are opting for destinations just a few hours from home.

Tour operators in the country highlighted that countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka were particularly popular this year, with Turkey and Egypt seeing another increase in traffic.

Air Travels Enterprise general manager Reena Philip said: “Compared to this time last year, traffic is up 22-30% as people are afraid to travel due to Covid-19. Things are obviously much better this year. It’s at pre-COVID levels. The destinations people want to go to are parts of Europe and South Asia.”

“Most people don’t want to travel to the UK due to the inconvenience of traveling to the UK and the current situation. There are also concerns about the backlog of Schengen visas, but we are still seeing a steady stream of inquiries from European countries such as Spain, Greece, Italy, Germany and France.”

Affordability and proximity to the emirate are other criteria, according to travel experts.

“As far as Asian countries are concerned, this year a lot of people have shown interest in Sri Lanka, which is close to the UAE. But these are usually short trips of four or five days, after which they intend to go to their home countries. We have received a lot of people from northern Indians in the UAE inquiries, they expressed interest in traveling to places such as Kerala. Instead, many South Indians want to travel to northern Indian destinations such as Delhi and even Kathmandu in Nepal.

“Another place where we initially expected to see a lot of inquiries was Israel. But because of the political situation there, inquiries haven’t really been booked. So things haven’t been better on that front,” she added.

Raheesh Babu, Chief Operating Officer, Musafir.com said: “As individuals make their holiday plans, there is a high demand for cost-effective and visa-friendly travel destinations. CIS countries such as Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia are in high demand , Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are also growing in popularity. In addition, destinations such as Singapore, Kenya, Thailand and Malaysia are also gaining in popularity. Obtaining visas for the Schengen countries, the UK, the US and Canada remains a challenge, and here is Why people tend to favor countries where visas are easy to get.”

Although the number of Covid-19 cases in India has been rising steadily, travel agencies say this has so far not affected outbound tourists to the subcontinent.

Asian countries account for the majority of 60% of travelers this summer (considering the UAE’s demographics), while the remaining 40% prefer European countries.

He added, “During the summer months, a large number of UAE residents return to their home countries – the Indian subcontinent, Europe, the US, the UK etc. This trend is mainly due to school holidays as families travel to spend time with loved ones. “

Experts in the field warn that when traveling to destinations such as the UK, “people should always choose the flex fare option and stay in constant communication with their travel agent for the latest updates.”

Lakshmi Anand, Managing Director of Ascentia Travel & Tours said: “This year there are several new summer destinations. Kyrgyzstan is one of them. Kazakhstan is also there. Also very popular with travelers. Then there are other destinations like Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“There’s also been interest in Nepal and Bhutan this year. The political situation in Sri Lanka has improved, so a lot of people are thinking about the island nation. Tanzania used to be popular, but because of the Marburg virus outbreak, people are opting out.”

According to her, demand for Saudi Arabia has increased after the country eased visa procedures and allowed multiple-entry permits. People want to go there for excursions. Oman has long been a favorite of residents who prefer not to travel long distances.

“The UAE is a last-minute market and we’ve seen a surge in inquiries compared to last year. As summer approaches, there will be more bookings. Turkey is back in action. Greece remains a popular destination. EGYPT It’s also doing very well as a tourist destination.”