Dubai: Dozens of expat families in the UAE will extend their UAE National Day holiday for the whole month, starting November 30. Thanks to the long National Day weekend ending on December 4, families, especially those with children in kindergarten to grade 4, prefer not to return to the UAE until after the New Year, said travel agents.
Since schools are closed for the winter holidays from December 8, many parents do not mind missing school for four days from December 4 to 8, said Afi Ahmed, chief executive of Smart Travels, at Gulf News. Ahmed explains that most of these travelers are heading to their home countries to enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivities with loved ones, while some are flying to Qatar to watch FIFA World Cup matches. Fifa.
Additionally, travel agents have also revealed that Georgia and Azerbaijan remain the most popular travel destinations for expats planning last-minute vacations for the long weekend. European destinations are not popular with many expats this time around, as Schengen visa processing still reports a three to four week delay.
Meanwhile, airlines operating at Dubai International Airport have stepped up operations by adding more than 110,000 scheduled seats to their flights in November, aviation consultancy OAB has revealed.
A ride home is the most popular option
“For those last-minute planning trips, a trip to Europe is out of the question unless they have valid visas,” Ahmed said.
“What we are seeing is that most families are returning to their home countries because Christmas and New Years are mainly times that people want to spend with their loved ones. Families with children under the age of six or seven accept that their children miss four days of school. They have booked their return tickets for January 2,” he explained.
However, singles and young couples looking for a quick getaway are turning to visa-free destinations like Georgia and Azerbaijan. “The weather in these countries is excellent at the moment and travel packages are readily available,” he added.
Round-trip tickets to Tbilisi are priced at Dh2,751 for travel dates November 30 to December 4, according to travel aggregator SkyScanner. Tickets to Baku are priced at 2,305 Dh on the same days. Hotel rates are between 55 Dh and 135 Dh per night in Baku.
Many travelers to Armenia, Baku and Tbilisi are return travelers. “These are not first-time visitors,” said Rashid Abbas, managing director of Arooha Travels.
“Also, this is the first post-COVID-19 winter vacation that is largely unrestricted. Many are choosing to stay out of the country longer,” Abbas said.
“People are flying to India in large numbers and ticket prices to popular destinations have skyrocketed since last week. Prices are high until early January,” he added. return to Mumbai cost an average of 2,087 Dh and prices to Kochi are 2,235 Dh.
Incoming tourists soar
Dubai has been ranked as the number one best winter destination in the world by travel package provider Park, Sleep, Fly. “Visitors to Dubai can expect to enjoy 8.82 hours of sunshine per day during the winter months, with average temperatures reaching a comfortable 20.4 degrees Celsius,” the company said.
“Dubai is by far the most popular winter sun destination among those surveyed, with over 111 million Instagram hashtags and the most winter-related Google searches reaching over 55,000,” he said. added. Dubai registered 2,790 Google searches, while Abu Dhabi, ranked fourth most popular, registered 130 Google searches for winter activities.