It’s the desire of every individual to make festive season holidays as memorable as possible and while there’s truth to the notion ‘that there’s no place like home for the holidays’ that pulls many to return to their home countries, holidaymakers also want to head to top-draw destinations around the world to catch the festive spirit.

 

Mary Thomas, managing director at Bin Moosa Travel in Abu Dhabi, said many holidaymakers and families are flocking to certain destinations for its convenience.

 

“The top destinations among Emiratis, Arabs, Asians and Europeans are Georgia, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Vietnam. People prefer such destinations for safety, affordability, and lack of visa requirements,” Thomas said.

Some families, who cannot afford travelling abroad for holidays, opt for boat cruises, she said. “There are big boat cruises for seven nights, between Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat and Bahrain that range from Dh2,500 to Dh3,000, including hotel stay, food and beverages, facilities, attractions and site seeing.”

Ramji Upadhyaya, ticket reservation executive at Golden Falcon Tours in the capital, advises holidaymakers to plan their trips early.

“People are always out looking for the best deals and cheap rates, so we advise them to book their tickets at least one month in advance to secure their flight seats. However, many people are reluctant to do so, because they cannot confirm their availability and are aware that they cannot get a refund once an early booking is made,” Upadhyaya said.

“The problem,” he added, “is people book their trips at the last minute and feel disappointed, because the flights are fully booked and the rates increase by over 80 per cent in holiday seasons”.

Egypt, Turkey and Jordan, he said, were among the top travel destinations at this time of the year.

According to Upadhyaya, travel volume has gone down by 30 per cent in 2016, compared to last year. He attributes it to people preferring to book online for security and safety reasons.

Ramji Upadhyaya, ticket reservation executive at Golden Falcon Tours in the capital, advises holidaymakers to plan their trips early.

“People are always out looking for the best deals and cheap rates, so we advise them to book their tickets at least one month in advance to secure their flight seats. However, many people are reluctant to do so, because they cannot confirm their availability and are aware that they cannot get a refund once an early booking is made,” Upadhyaya said.

“The problem,” he added, “is people book their trips at the last minute and feel disappointed, because the flights are fully booked and the rates increase by over 80 per cent in holiday seasons”.

Egypt, Turkey and Jordan, he said, were among the top travel destinations at this time of the year.

According to Upadhyaya, travel volume has gone down by 30 per cent in 2016, compared to last year. He attributes it to people preferring to book online for security and safety reasons.

source : gulfnews