UAE residents are embracing home comforts as staycations in the Emirates surge amid travel disruption caused by the Iran war.
The Northern Emirates and areas outside of Abu Dhabi and Dubai are seeing stronger demand as holiday-goers seek respite during uncertain times.
Siyi Feng, an Abu Dhabi resident, chose to visit Al Ain for an Eid staycation as she and her family did not want to fly out of the country.
“We were not interested in taking any flights out of the country for safety and we didn't know if we would be able to get back in yet,” Ms Feng said. “So then we decided we could always go to Al Ain.
“When we left, all the missile alerts were going. When we got there [Al Ain], we were walking around looking for a place for dinner and we all breathed a sigh of relief.
“It was just so peaceful. When we talked with people, everyone said if it wasn't for social media, they wouldn't even know anything changed.”
Ms Feng was not the only one with the idea to head out to Al Ain. She said she ran into friends from Abu Dhabi at attractions around the city.
Umm Al Quwain packed for Eid
Barracuda Beach Resort in Umm Al Quwain reported higher revenue than last year and had a daily occupancy rate of more than 50 per cent throughout last month, despite the backdrop of the Iranian attacks in the region.
“We were totally packed from March 20 onwards. It was 100 per cent occupancy with all the restaurants 100 per cent covered, and Saturday, March 21, was also 100 per cent occupancy,” said Nigish Mohandas, commercial manager of Barracuda Beach Resort.
Mr Mohandas told The National that revenue and occupancy had not been significantly affected since the start of the Iranian attacks, and prices remained the same. However, looking ahead, the hotel has seen some corporate booking cancellations.
Umm Al Quwain's Department of Tourism and Archaeology issued a notice to all hotel guests, which is given on check-in and posted in each room. The National received a copy of the notice, which encourages the public to “obtain information exclusively from official and trusted local sources”. The department has been conducting routine safety checks in hotels in the Emirate, and cautioned against lowering hotel prices.
Hatta in high demand
In Hatta, Dubai's mountainous exclave, a similar trend is visible. Sabine Kipp, a German resident in the UAE, decided to try out Hatta's glamping for a couple of nights. Although she feels safe in Dubai, she said she enjoyed “recharging in nature”.
“It was the best decision”, Ms Kipp told The National. “We wanted to take a little staycation because the traffic in the air was a bit busy with the drones and the missiles. So we decided to go for two days off in the nature to recharge our souls and heads.”
Hatta was full of people, but she said there was ample space to avoid feeling crowded. She was able to get a 25 per cent discount on her room through the hotel.
Demand has been high at Hatta's Mughaibar Fort Resort with no noticeable decline in bookings, according to Mahboob Khan, manager, who said many guests were opting to stay for weeks rather than days.
“[The resort] is continually booked. More of the customers are calling for the booking and want accommodation. They want to stay continuously for 10 days, 15 days. More guests came from Dubai, searching for a safe and quiet place. They want to rest here,” Mr Khan said.
Fujairah
For Holiday Beach Resort just outside of Dibba in the Emirate of Fujairah, there was higher occupancy during the week preceding Eid Al Fitr.
However when Eid began, only about 20 per cent of the rooms were full. The National spoke to Jovy de Jesus, front office supervisor at Holiday Beach Resort, who said visitor numbers dipped again after the drone strikes on Fujairah Port.
“The week before Eid we were back to back, like 100 per cent full,” she said. “Some of the guests extended their stay, and then it happened [the attack] in Fujairah and some of the guests went back. Here is it calm, we are one hour away from [the port].”
A lack of tourists is typical for the resort during this period, where it caters mostly to UAE residents looking for a beach escape on the east coast.
“After Eid, we dropped down the price just to get the market back again”, Ms de Jesus said.
While some hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are encouraging staff to take temporary leave or shutting temporarily, all three hotels featured in this article said they are operating as normal with the hotel fully staffed.
“We did not send the staff home or on leave, it is business as usual,” said Ms de Jesus.
