Tag Archives: Thailand

dnata Travel revealed that bookings with UAE travellers for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr break this April have more than doubled in volume compared to 2023 levels. In previous years, the UAE-based travel agency has seen a close-to-equal split between the choice for a staycation or travelling internationally with UAE residents during the first Eid break. The split is weighing heavier this year towards outbound travel at 60% of all bookings, compared to 40% for local stays. The most popular destinations for holiday bookings over Eid al-Fitr 2024 from the UAE are Maldives, Thailand, Italy, Mauritius, and the USA, respectively. Meerah Ketait, Head of Retail and Leisure UAE at dnata Travel, commented: “An extended break is anticipated for Eid celebrations this April, and travellers are making the most of the opportunity with bookings being made further in advance and to long-haul destinations including across Asia and the USA. “The Indian Ocean islands of the Maldives and Mauritius, alongside Thailand, are popular for travellers year-round with tropical climates and accessibility to the UAE. This year, Italy and the USA are trending for the Eid break compared to 2023. Travellers are heading to the Italian cities of Rome and Venice, whilst in the US, stays in New York City and Las Vegas are proving most popular.” The dnata Travel team is launching a range of bespoke holiday packages for UAE travellers with last-minute availability remaining across the Eid al-Fitr break this April. Highlights include five-star stays with airport transfers and meals included across popular destinations in the Maldives, Seychelles, Hong Kong, and Bali, alongside an extensive tour of Sri Lanka’s top sights, amongst other attractive holiday package offers.

Effective until 29 February 2024, the five-month stimulus visa scheme is aimed to help reach this year’s tourism revenue target of 2.38 trillion Baht. The Royal Thai Government led by Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Srettha Thavisin has announced the temporary tourist visa exemption scheme to passport holders of the People’s Republic of China and Republic of Kazakhstan effective from 25 September 2023 to 29 February 2024, to achieve this year’s tourism revenue target of 2.38 trillion Baht. Chinese and Kazakhstani nationals will be granted a temporary visa exemption for a 30-day stay on tourism purpose in Thailand during the five-month visa exemption period.

With the Eid al-Adha break fast approaching, dnata Travel has revealed the most popular holiday hotspots over summer in 2023. In order of popularity, the ten most booked destinations are: Thailand, Turkey, Italy, UK, Greece, Maldives, Bali, Mauritius, Switzerland and Oman. dnata Travel’s experts have also revealed an 18% increase in international holiday bookings from June to September 2023 so far, compared to the same timings in 2022. As the most popular destination, Thailand is taking 23% of dnata Travel bookings across the summer. Within the country, the capital city Bangkok, alongside the islands of Phuket and Krabi are the top three locations for UAE travellers. Meerah Ketait, Head of Retail and Leisure UAE at dnata Travel, commented: “A pent-up demand is driving travellers to explore more of the world, including lesser-known places and varied locations across popular hotspots. In addition to the ever-popular destinations of Thailand, Turkey, Italy and UK, we have seen a notable increase in travel to Greece in particular, compared to the same period last year. “Thailand is our top growth destination, with demand driven by a rise in availability of flights, the country’s incredible value-for-money proposition, world-class accommodation, and varied experiences.” A majority of summer bookings are for Eid al-Adha, where dnata Travel’s top ten international destinations remain consistent. Across the summer, 80% of bookings are for international travel, while the remaining 20% cover UAE staycations. Bookings to Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, and Denmark are trending compared to 2022, with Austria, Spain, Singapore and Sri Lanka also growing in popularity. dnata Travel experts continuously monitor trends and work with long-standing international partners to offer exclusive rates and added extras for the local market, alongside …

According to the survey conducted by Mabrian, tourist destinations in the Middle East and Asia are gaining in importance, especially Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Thailand. As for closer proximity tourism, Georgia, Armenia, and Kazakhstan have now become part of the top 20 preferred destinations for Russians in 2022. The study is based on an analysis of the hotel demand of the Russian travelers and the average hotel room price in the more than 700 destinations worldwide during 2022, comparing with 2019 trends. To do it, the Mabrian’s team has used its Travel Intelligence platform to analyse the more than 2 million reviews posted by Russians and the published hotel prices in the main OTA’s (Booking, Expedia and TripAdvisor) for these two years. According to Carlos Cendra, Director of Marketing & Sales at Mabrian: “As one of the largest source markets for international tourism over the last 20 years, the Russian market plays a crucial role in the global travel industry, and in recent times it has become essential for destinations and companies to understand their evolving trends and preferences. Our study shows that the Russian travel market has been deeply impacted with current situation. Much less travelers and a changing profile with tourists exploring new destinations in the Middle East, Asia, and neighboring countries all of which seem very keen to capture market share by welcoming Russian travelers.” Meanwhile, the classic European tourist destinations, including Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and Greece, have had the most significant negative impact based on the current situation, showing a drastic decrease in the presence of Russian tourists who used to frequent these destinations in 2019. Of all the countries impacted, Italy has …

dnata Travel reveals that Thailand is the most popular destination for UAE travellers for summer holidays in 2022. Experts at the UAE-based travel brand are recording a 185% increase in the total number of travel bookings made for summer 2022 so far compared to the same time period in 2021. A total 64% of hotel bookings are for international properties, while 34% represent UAE staycations across the country. The top ten destinations for UAE travellers to book a holiday package, including flights and hotels, with dnata Travel at the time of publishing, are: Thailand, Maldives, Turkey, Mauritius, UK, Indonesia, Italy, USA, Spain and France, respectively. Flight-only leisure travel bookings are also proving popular to visit friends and relatives, with top destinations including India, Egypt, Philippines, Turkey, and the UK, most concentrated during the time of the anticipated Eid al-Adha break in July. Meerah Ketait, Head of Retail and Leisure UAE at dnata Travel, commented: “The top five holiday destinations for UAE travellers in 2022 have typically made up our top locations for international travel bookings pre-pandemic. With more locations opening up to travellers this year and with eased restrictions, we have witnessed our 2021 summer holiday hotspots the Maldives and Turkey joined once again by ever-popular destinations Thailand, Mauritius and the UK. “Thailand has risen quickly to become the top-choice international holiday destination for UAE travellers in summer 2022 since it reopened for tourism. Alongside the world-class resorts, experiences, food and abundance of natural attractions that the country has to offer, cost-effective holiday offers across its cities and islands are extremely popular.” The top locations of choice for UAE travellers to Thailand this summer with dnata Travel are Bangkok, Phuket …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has confirmed that travelers who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 from low-risk countries will be allowed to fly direct to the popular holiday destination without having to quarantine from July 1. Visitors will only need to stay in the area they landed for seven days before they can visit other destinations in the country. Air Arabia is offering its customers a competitive fare to Phuket, starting from AED 1799 return per value fare booking. Located in the south of Thailand, Phuket is the largest and one of the most fun of all islands. Phuket has it all: diverse entertainment options, top-class shopping venues and some of the most gorgeous beaches. Customers can now book their direct flights between Sharjah and Phuket by visiting Air Arabia’s website, by calling the call centre or through travel agencies. Ensuring the highest standards of safety at every step of the journey by following all health and safety protocols, Air Arabia has also added to the convenience and confidence of passengers by introducing free COVID-19 insurance coverage. The insurance is automatically included as part of the booking and no additional documents are required from passengers.

Over the years, Thailand has become one of the most visited destinations by GCC travellers. Join in for the special webinar on August 10, 2020 at 11am UAE time to find out more information on some of the most amazing offerings offered to the GCC clientele. For registration call or email Crisna on crisna@ddppl.com or +971554704200. The session will really be a good platform for all the agents in GCC as they will be fully equipped with updated products and services as well as off-the-beaten-path regions in Thailand for Arab Millennials. GCC clientele are always on the look-out for new destinations that offer unique experiences which Thailand has a whole host of other interesting products that can add a lot more value to the travellers. This webinar will take the agents on a trip to learn about Shopping, Dining and Sightseeing products, Polls, Hotels presentations from The Peninsula and Sofitel Sukhumvit Bangkok, Q&A and last but not least the giveaways for the agents who can answer the questions.

Almost half (47 per cent) of MENA nationals who visited Thailand during 2018 chose to travel during the green season. This season, also described as the ‘rainy season’, runs from June to October and is one of the most vibrant times of the year in Thailand, bringing with it picturesque tones of blues and greens. During the rainy season, the temperature ranges from 89º F (32º C) to 78º F (25º C). Although the green season in Thailand brings with it unpredictable weather, there are still plenty of activities that travellers can do during the rainy season such as temple visits, exploring Thailand’s incredible food scene, museums, malls and famous markets. Travelling to Thailand during the green season also has the added bonus of being much cheaper than during high season, with flight fares costing less and many hotels and retreats offering discounts. Alongside cultural and ecological excursions, visitors to Thailand can also spend time at hundreds of wellness retreats, which focus on physical and mental wellbeing. Specialised meditation and healing yoga sessions can all help to re-energise the mind as well as the body. For those looking for something more hard-core, Thailand’s famous Muay Thai retreats can help you get into shape fast in a fun, social and supportive environment.

The Higher Organising Committee of IWAS World Games Sharjah 2019 confirmed that 1,462 participants from 50 countries are set to compete in the world’s largest wheelchair and amputee sports championship in Sharjah from February 10-16. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member Ruler of Sharjah, the IWAS World Games has returned to the emirate for the second time after its successful debut in the city in 2011. The eighth edition of the world championship brings together seven games including archery, athletics, badminton, swimming, shooting, table tennis and wheelchair fencing. New details of the upcoming biennial sports championship were revealed at a press conference held recently at Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa. Global athletes landing in Sharjah over the next few days are set to represent 50 competing nations confirmed by the Higher Organising Committee which include the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, India, Sweden, Ukraine, Thailand, Turkey, Brazil, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, Kenya, Russia, China, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Italy, South Africa, South Korea, Poland, Pakistan, Norway, Kenya, Latvia, Macau, Azerbaijan, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Serbia, France, Georgia, the UK, the US, Hong Kong, Greece, Czech Republic, Austria, Belarus and Comoros.

For the first time, Al Ain Region hosted the Pacific Asia Travel Association Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2018 (PATA ATRTCM), organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism–Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). A number of workshops and plenary sessions was hosted by industry experts and visionaries from across the globe. Key speakers including HE Sultan Al Mutawa Al Dhaheri, Executive Director, Tourism Sector, DCT Abu Dhabi; Dr. Mario Hardy, Chief Executive Officer, PATA, Thailand; Norie Quintos, Editor at Large, National Geographic Travel and Independent Communications Consultant, USA, explored the trends and dynamics of one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors. Themed on ‘Adventure in a New Era’, the event offered delegations from across the Asia Pacific region a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and unlock the potential of the adventure tourism sector in the digital era. The conference was followed by a travel mart, in which participants interacted with adventure product buyers and sellers from across the world.