UAE travel agents see surge in last-minute Eid breaks

Bosnia, Ukraine, Georgia and Maldives high on the list for visitors due to few travel restrictions

Conrad Maldives' Spa Retreat. The Maldives is a popular holiday destination for UAE travellers.

Statue of the brothers and sister who founded Kiev, Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), Kiev, Ukraine, Europe (Christian Kober/Robert Harding/Getty Images)

Sarajevo is another possible Eid travel destination.

The Georgian capital of Tbilisi is a favoured destination for UAE travellers.

Tourists visit the Colossi of Memnon, the ruins of two stone statues that guarded the mortuary temple built for Pharaoh Amenhotep III, in Luxor, Egypt.

Tourists gather in front of the treasury site in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan.

Morocco has much to offer for international visitors.

Tourists walk together at the sea castle in the Lebanese port city of Sidon.

Spain is a popular destination for tourists across the globe.

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Tens of thousands of UAE holidaymakers are planning last-minute getaways for the upcoming Eid Al Adha break, as more global destinations open up for visitors.

Private and public sector workers will get a four-day break next week, and booking agents said searches for holidays have soared as people look to make the most of the long break.

With more than two-thirds of the total population now fully vaccinated, travel agents said people now feel more confident going abroad, despite mandatory Covid-19 testing in many destinations that costs $100 or more.

Countries such as Bosnia, Georgia and Ukraine, where there are limited or no travel restrictions, were high on the list for UAE residents.

We have also seen interest in trending destinations that are open to tourism, with fewer restrictions, such as Ukraine, Bosnia, Georgia

Muzzammil Ahussain,
Seera Group

“When it comes to travel abroad, destinations such as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon and Spain are popular,” said Muzzammil Ahussain from Seera Group, a travel and tourism company in Dubai.

“We have also seen interest in trending destinations that are open to tourism, with fewer restrictions, such as Ukraine, Bosnia, Georgia.

“The Maldives is also a favourite for an island getaway.”

Mr Ahussain said the average length of stay has increased by 10 per cent, from 4.2 to 4.6 days, which she said was the result of people having a longer break this year.

Emirates warned this weekend would be one of the busiest for Dubai airport, with hundreds of thousands of passengers passing through its terminals.

A professional diver leaps from Mostar Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia. The historic town and bridge, which was rebuilt after the 1992-1995 war, draws in thousands of summer tourists with its cafe culture, history and daredevil bridge jumpers

For hotel bookings, the average group size is 2.6 travellers, which indicates couples and families are travelling this Eid.

Staycations are popular for a large majority of families, with Ras Al Khaimah a popular choice for hotel getaways.

“Staycations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah top the list and make up more than 50 per cent of our Eid booking volume this year,” Mr Ahussain said.

“For flights, we can see a large number of individual bookings, which indicates that people are taking a holiday to travel back home.”

Emily Jenkins, head of leisure UAE at dnata Travel, said there was a surge in bookings for destinations easing requirements and opening up for vaccinated travellers.

Ahead of the summer travel season, 81 per cent of the overall search traffic for dnata Travel was for international destinations.

“Traveller confidence has grown, particularly in travel to destinations which have been open for some time and with clear regulations, offer quarantine-free travel, and direct flights,” she said.

“An ideal example of this is the number one international destination of choice for Eid al-Adha 2021 with dnata Travel, the Maldives, which has been open for UAE travellers since July 2020.

“Seychelles and Zanzibar continue to prove popular summer holiday destinations of choice for UAE travellers too.”

Visitors sit in bars in an area known as Little Venice on the Greek island of Mykonos.

Restaurant tables are set on the Greek island of Mykonos.

Mosaicist Irene Syrianou inspects work at her store on the island of Mykonos, Greece.

A fishing boat is anchored in front of the main walkway on the Greek island of Mykonos, Greece.

An Archaeological Service worker walks past marble columns on the island of Delos, an ancient center of religious and commercial life, in Greece.

An Archaeological Service worker wears a face mask on the island of Delos, an ancient centre of religious and commercial life, in Greece. The site is open for day trips for visitors on vacation on the nearby island of Mykonos.

A yacht sails out of the harbour on the Greek island of Mykonos.

A view of a windmill in the main town of the island of Mykonos, Greece.

A visitor watches the sunset in an area known as Little Venice in the main town of the island of Mykonos, Greece.

Tourists watching the sunset in Oia (pronounced 'Ia'), which is the most famous of all villages of Santorini. It is world known for its quite life and fantastic sunset and it is obviously the most beautiful and picturesque village of Santorini

Ocean vistas and an architecturally unique cave home in Greece's Santorini in a house that used to be the area's old bakery.

View of the Red Beach, Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece

Tourists watch the changing of the Presidential guards ceremony outside the Greek parliament in central Athens.

Young men dance is Syntagma square, central Athens.

ATHENS, GREECE - JUNE 30: Tourists visit the ancient Acropolis hill, with the ruins of the fifth century BC Parthenon temple on June 30, 2015 in Athens, Greece. Greek voters will decide in a referendum next Sunday on whether their government should accept an economic reform package put forth by Greece's creditors. Greece has imposed capital controls with the banks being closed until the referendum and a daily limit of 60 euros has been placed on cash withdrawals from ATMs. (Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)

Two women wearing protective face masks amid Covid-19 pandemic visit the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill in Athens.

In terms of those looking to travel to Europe, Ms Jenkins said Turkey and Greece had a lot of interest in recent weeks, as well as Italy and Georgia, both of which are gaining traction, as are beach breaks in Cyprus.

She said the length of stay is up 30 per cent for summer 2021 compared with last year, with more customers booking seven nights plus, compared with an average of three to five-night stays in previous years.

“Of the total number of Eid Al Adha holiday bookings made with UAE travellers via dnata Travel for 2021 so far, the majority are for couples, about 42 per cent, followed by families at about 37 per cent, then groups of friends and solo travellers.”

Locally, Vinayak Mahtani, chief executive of bnbme holiday homes in Dubai, said Eid bookings picked up over the past seven days.

“We have seen huge demand [for property rentals] in beach areas, specifically Bluewater Island, Jumeirah Beach Residence and Palm Jumeirah," Mr Mahtani said.

“We have had interest in properties in Citywalk and Downtown Dubai too.

“Most of our bookings are from local residents, couples and families.

“Many families with younger kids do not have the opportunity to get back to their home countries so are opting for staycations.”

He said prices this year were far more attractive than they were last summer when tighter travel restrictions meant more people were choosing to book staycations. As a result of that demand, prices have soared.

This month, Mr Mahtani said a one-bedroom luxury apartment on the Palm during Eid ranges from Dh500 to Dh700 per night, which includes beach access.

This week, Abu Dhabi expanded its quarantine-free travel green list, which now contains 35 countries, up from 31 last month.

The latest changes mean travellers can now fly to and from more destinations and not have to self-isolate on arrival in Abu Dhabi.

Canada, Jordan and several popular European destinations, including France and Ireland, were added to the list.

Jordan's once bustling ancient city of Petra has been crippled by Covid-19.

One of the new seven wonders of the world, it used to attract thousands of tourists a day.

But during the pandemic visitor numbers dwindled and Jordan's economy suffered its worst contraction in decades.

There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon, however, as foreign tourists are starting to return.

Government efforts to revive the tourism sector appear to be paying off.

Jordan's 'golden triangle', which includes Petra, Wadi Rum and crusader castles, is now open to tourists that are fully vaccinated.

The country also lifted most of its lockdown measures at the start of July, after a sharp drop in infections.

While it will take time to recover, Jordan's tourism industry is hopeful brighter days are ahead.