Online travel platforms and tourism operators are reporting a massive surge in outbound travel from the UAE in the current travel season, with a 65 per cent jump in overall bookings compared to the previous Eid period, which is expected to go up significantly higher this week as the festival date closes in, industry players said.
This year also brings a big bonanza to travel and tourist firms dealing with overseas holidays as bookings for international destinations have already recorded a 60 per cent spike from the 2024 level, with enquiries and bookings continuing to pour in significantly.
This year’s mad travel rush is fuelled by what sector experts describe as the double-engine push of Eid Al Fitr holiday and the coinciding two-week spring break in the UAE, taking UAE’s travel demand to an all-time high in the current travel season.
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They said families and holidaymakers are taking advantage of this extended holiday period, leading to a surge in outbound travel bookings.
“The overlap of Eid Al Fitr with the spring break has created a perfect storm for travel demand [in the current holiday season],” Rikant Pittie, CEO & Co-founder of EaseMyTrip, a leading online travel and tourism platform operating in GCC and India, told Arabian Business.
“Our data shows a 65 per cent increase in overall bookings compared to the previous Eid period, with 90 per cent of our customers opting for international destinations – 60 per cent up from 2024,” he said.
Senior executives in some of the other city-based travel and tourism firms also confirmed a surge in flight and hotel bookings, especially in international destinations.
The rush of expats who are taking the festival and spring break holiday opportunity to visit their home countries is also driving up demand for flight bookings, they said.
UAE travellers explore new destinations
Interestingly, this time around, UAE travellers seem to be in an ‘experimenting’ trip, opting for several emerging destinations overseas, besides the usual pick of traditional cities and countries.
The visa-on-arrival facilities launched by several countries are said to be prompting this trend.
“[In the current season], holidaymakers from the UAE are favouring a mix of traditional and emerging destinations such as Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia. These new destinations are drawing significant interest due to their visa-on-arrival and e-visa facilities,” Pittie said.
Within Europe, industry players said they are seeing greater traction for Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Latvia, and France as top choices this year.
“Travellers who are seeking cultural experiences and cooler weather are opting for the traditional European destinations, while a large number of holidaymakers, especially the young and young-at-heart ones, are increasingly opting for new and emerging overseas destinations for seeking new experiences,” said a senior executive with a city-based travel tech firm.
Industry insiders said several Southeast Asia and African destinations such as Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Kenya, and Zanzibar are seeing heightened demand in the current season.
These destinations offer a cultural mix of adventure, relaxation, and great affordability, increasing their popularity among travellers, they said.
Airfares surge amid travel boom
The spike in travel demand has also pushed up airfares, with some of the routes seeing up to 60 per cent jump in flight fares compared to last year.
The EaseMyTrip chief executive said airfares have followed the travel demand trend and have climbed steeply, with some routes like the UK already seeing a 23 per cent increase, while fares to Germany have surged by a steep 60 per cent compared to last year.
“We anticipate flight prices to popular destinations could rise by 20-30 per cent as the holiday nears closer,” he said.
Airfares from the UAE to India also are reported to have gone up by about 35 per cent.
Pittie said with airfare and hotel rates rising by up to 30 per cent during peak periods, they recommend their customers to finalise their plans as early as possible.
Travellers should lock in the best prices as last-minute bookings will only see higher fares and limited availability, he said.
“As demand for Eid travel reaches record highs, proactive planning becomes essential. By booking early and exploring diverse destinations, travellers from UAE can enjoy a simpler and memorable holiday, while avoiding last-minute price surges,” Pittie said.
Industry players said with the rising surge trend in airfares, all-inclusive holiday packages are becoming an attractive option for travellers.
Such packages offer travellers an affordable and stress-free way to plan their trips, they said.
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