Tourism Breaking News
With borders open in full, GCC travellers are now ready to take the plunge and confident to explore the new post covid world especially as eid coupled with summer vacations sets in the region. Over the past few days the airline and hotel bookings have increased despite the fact that airline fares have increased a considerable amount. Our GCC line up of industry professionals share their observations. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, “The demand for travel continues to see significant growth and recovery post COVID-19. With summer approaching, travelers began planning and booking their holidays, and we are witnessing an increase in bookings and demand for flights to and from the UAE. Travelers are also looking for new experiences and exploring places they haven’t visited before to make up for lost travel in the past two years due to the pandemic. And they are ready to spend more on leisure trips than before. Flight and hotel searches from the UAE during the month of June reached about 3 million, an increase of 77% over the same period last year. Despite the increase in airfares, we continue to see an increase in demand and people are booking longer stays. The airfares for the upcoming Eid Al Adha holiday have spiked for most destinations. If we look at the top destinations from the UAE during the Eid break, the average airfare to Egypt is $551 with an increase of 41% in comparison to the same period last year, the airfare to India is around $379 a rise of 114%, Jordan saw an increase of 45% with an average airfare of $689, the flight to Turkey is $306 with an increase of %36, $788 to Morocco with a rise of 65%, $1,900 to Thailand with a spike of %191, and flights to Lebanon from UAE recorded a 36% increase with the average airfare around $575.”
Influx of travel into KSA and outbound travel
Sammy Musa, Chief Executive Officer at Gulf Reps, “I think the Eid-Al-Adha break will see a huge level of outbound travel from the region. Thailand will likely see an influx from Saudi Arabia and I believe other open Asian destinations such as Indonesia and Singapore should see an improvement in arrival numbers. The real winners this year will be UK and Europe, with the eVisa waiver scheme introduced for Saudi Arabia to the UK there is likely to be a large number of last-minute bookings and in general I believe Europe will perform extremely well this summer from the region as GCC Nationals revisit their favored destinations. The long delays in the UAE for Schengen visa applications means that European destinations should focus their efforts on UAE Nationals whilst the Americas will only really benefit from visitors who hold an existing visa given the long visa application time. Whilst these visa issues may not necessarily affect the traveler and their family it may create a concern for anyone wishing to travel with nannies as we often see, particularly for those visiting the west coast of the US.”
Ready to meet high demand from GCC
Rabih El Hayek, Director of Sales – GCC & MEA of Caesars Palace Dubai
“We are expecting a strong demand from the GCC over Eid and summer as we typically would from our neighboring countries. We expect that there will be last-minute bookings in addition to transit stays in Dubai compared to 2020 and 2021 as Saudis were restricted to travel to Dubai except for the month of May and June 2021 due to the pandemic. Also, many travelers this year have not been able to plan their travels abroad due to delays in visa appointments and the overall cost of travel abroad. Discussing the factors driving this trend, El Hayek added: “The hotel has only experienced one summer in 2019 from the GCC markets excluding UAE before the pandemic and that was the first summer since the hotel was open where those markets where the top performing throughout the summer. Dubai is one of the top 5 destinations for Saudis for 2022 where 50% of the bookings are for 5-star hotels. The demand is throughout the year and Summer is considered the school holidays season and Caesars Palace Dubai is offering 3 unique experiences for summer to include family fun activities. UAE followed by KSA and Kuwait are our key feeder markets from Middle East. There’s something for everyone this Summer at Caesars Palace Dubai. It is the perfect holiday destination for families, party-seekers and those looking for a chic getaway with luxe beachside stays, incredible multi-cuisine dining choices, chilled pools and a private beach, complimentary all-day kids’ recreation activities and giveaways, spa, beauty treatments and much more.”
Explaining what Caesars Palace Dubai caters to the needs of Middle Eastern travelers, El Hayek shared, “We have introduced added values specifically for the middle eastern markets where their guests can enjoy late breakfast served in the room until 3pm on complimentary basis. In addition to the rooms & suites, Caesars Palace Dubai features the sophisticated comfort of contemporary urban residence with elegantly furnished one, two, three or four bedroom residences that are the ideal choice for bigger families, longer stays , or for those craving that home-away-from-home feel. Fully furnished and equipped with kitchens and laundry, The Residences have the advantage of access to all the hotel amenities, right next door.”
Turkey a strong contender for the region
Laurent Vannier, Aman Resorts Head of Sales – Europe, Middle East & Africa
“For Eid, we are only starting to receive enquiries and bookings especially for Amanruya in Bodrum and we expect enquiries will be very last minute which is the general trend anyway. 2022 of course performs better than FY2020 and is on par with 2021 which was one of the best years for Amanruya and Amanzoe in Greece with travelers from the Gulf. We anticipate that we’ll start to see bookings at least reach pre-pandemic levels for our top destinations for the Gulf, including Aman Japan, Amanpulo in The Philippines and Amanoi in Vietnam, which are only just reopening to international travel. Airlift (direct flights) and proximity are key. The top destination for 2022 is Amanwella in Sri Lanka, one of the best years for the GCC market due to short direct flights. Otherwise, we are mostly receiving bookings for Amanzoe, Amanruya, Amanjena, Aman Venice and further afield for Amanpuri, Aman Indonesia, Amanyara (and also Japan for later in the year). The summer is only starting around the Mediterranean and we are confident we will receive guests from the Gulf later in the summer and autumn, couples and families alike as summer lasts longer there. Pre-pandemic KSA was by far our top market but for 2022, the UAE has been leading. KSA and UAE are on a par with last year and we are only starting to receive enquiries from other markets such as Qatar. Additionally, we have recently received wonderful news about Saudi travelers being able to travel to Thailand where we have the legendary Amanpuri and Turkey where we have Amanruya in Bodrum. Amanpuri welcomed a lot of Saudi guests in May and we expect many travelers will want to visit these wonderful destinations later this summer. Additionally, Aman le Mélézin in Courchevel 1850 has always welcomed a lot of guests from the Gulf and we have already received confirmations for next winter season. We attract couples especially honeymooners due to the privacy and exclusivity Aman offers, while our multi-bedroom, fully serviced villas welcome larger families for 5 to 7 night stays, depending on destinations.”
Further reiterating Aman’s unique appeal to discerning travelers from the Middle East, Vannier said, “Aman only offers bespoke experiences. We always put the guest at the heart of what we do and adapt the experience to accommodate their needs – whether it be wellness, cultural UNESCO sites, or more active family adventures.”
