With the easing of travel procedures and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gulf residents are looking to spend the Eid al-Fitr holiday on tourist trips outside the country after being forced to spend their holidays in their countries for the past two years due to the imposed measures.
Over the last decades, people in the Gulf countries have been at the forefront of the world’s population in terms of tourism spending, particularly during official holidays that coincide with the summer season, when temperatures in these countries rise significantly.
However, during the last two months, all Arab Gulf countries have announced a reduction of cautious measures in response to the outbreak, allowing their citizens to travel and return with ease.
Eid al-Fitr holiday duration
During the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which lasts between three and nine days, citizens of the Gulf countries will have a unique opportunity to spend special trips outside their country.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in Saudi Arabia announced that the Eid al-Fitr holiday for the private sector would begin at the end of Saturday, April 30, and last until May 5, while the holiday for the government sector would start on the same date and ending on May 6.
The Federal Authority for Governmental Human Resources in the UAE announced that the Eid holiday would begin on Saturday, April 30, and last until May 8, 2022, a total of nine consecutive days.
The Civil Service Commission in Kuwait declared that the Eid al-Fitr holiday in 2022 would begin on Sunday, May 1, and last until the eighth of the month.
Oman’s Ministry of Civil Service announced the date of Eid al-Fitr vacation for employees in the public and private sectors to begin on Monday, May 2, and end on the eighth of the month.
Eid al-Fitr holiday in Bahrain would begin on Monday, May 2, and end on Wednesday, May 4.
Ticket prices are rising
Data from Gulf airlines showed an increase in airline ticket prices during the Eid period, up to 55 percent, supported by the surge of travel demand by families and individuals in the Gulf countries and the region in general.
According to the newspaper Al-Rou’a, prices of tickets from Dubai to Cairo increased 30-55 percent, to Jordan 30-42 percent, from Dubai to Jeddah 36 percent, and from Dubai to Beirut 20-30 percent.
Ticket prices from Dubai to Muscat increased 15-20 percent, while those from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh were up 15-22 percent, depending on the time and day of booking.
According to sources in the tourism and travel sectors in the Gulf states, travel demand ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday was among the highest in the last two years.
Furthermore, due to the increased demand for booking flights, prices have risen up to 55 percent in some locations, and are expected to grow much more in the coming days.
Favorite destinations
Travel and tourism companies in Dubai offered deals on trips to various countries for two to seven days during the Eid vacation, with costs ranging from 1,800 to 4,200 dirhams.
Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Istanbul, the Maldives, Georgia, Thailand, Singapore, Bali, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, and Azerbaijan were among the top destinations.
Tourism data from local travel businesses, on the other hand, revealed that the Maldives, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, and Zanzibar were the most popular foreign destinations for people of the country during the previous time.
According to data released by the International Travel and Tourism Council in 2019, before the pandemic, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and the Maldives, were among the best tourist destinations for Gulf residents to spend the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Gulf residents used to spend billions of dollars on overseas tourism each year, especially during the festive seasons, before the pandemic.
Compared to citizens of other Gulf countries, Kuwaitis spent the most on tourism, with an average of 11 percent, followed by Saudis (7 percent), Qataris (5.7 percent), Emiratis (4.6 percent), Omanis (3.3 percent) and Bahrainis (2.1 percent).
According to research released in 2019 by the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas, 40 percent of Gulf Arabs visiting the European Union spend more than $10,000 per person per tourist trip.
According to the local newspaper Al-Watan, Saudis spend roughly $11.73 billion on tourism, with international tourists accounting for more than 69 percent.
Omani tourists spend $2.3 billion yearly, according to data published by Oman’s National Center for Statistics and Information in 2019.
Rise in domestic tourism
In addition to foreign tourism, domestic tourism — which has recently developed in most Gulf countries — is booming in some countries.
The hotel sector in the UAE recorded strong occupancy during the Eid al-Fitr holiday this year, boosted by solid demand from domestic tourism, which enhanced the performance of the hotel sector, particularly the beaches and resorts.
According to hotel industry sources, hotel occupancy rates at some locations exceeded 60Â percent.
In comparison, it reached about 75Â percent in beach hotels and resorts and hotels that offer recreational and water activities.
According to data from online booking platforms, 75 percent of hotel rooms in Dubai were booked over the Eid Al Fitr vacation.
As a result, many hotel facilities saw a significant spike in pricing compared to typical days, with beach hotels seeing higher demand than city hotels.
Resident and citizen families account for most reservations, particularly in hotel establishments that include recreational activities and are close to water parks and theme parks, such as Dubai Parks and Resorts.
In collaboration with entertainment destinations, many hotels have offered discounts and campaigns that include hotel stays with free entry to theme parks.
This is considering the tremendous competition to attract families to boost family tourism, which has resulted in high demand for these places.
Domestic tourism remained the most important factor supporting the UAE hotel sector.
This is due to many countries’ restrictions and regulations, limiting citizens’ and residents’ ability to travel overseas.
The Ministry of Economy, for its part, stated that domestic tourism has seen significant activity and increase since the beginning of 2021 compared to the same period last year, owing to the increasing demand of the country’s people for tourist attractions and local hotels amenities.
This is due to growing confidence in the preventive measures taken to ensure the health and safety of hotel guests and visitors to tourist destinations, as well as the effectiveness of national campaigns to highlight the unique features and destinations in the UAE.
On the other hand, Saudi national carriers reduced the prices of domestic flights by around 45 percent to stimulate domestic tourism.
Abdullah Al-Shahrani, Director General of Communication and Media Affairs at Saudi Airlines, noted an operational strategy for the holiday season and Jeddah season, which includes raising the number of flights and seat capacity and expanding domestic flights.
Domestic travel prices on Saudi Airlines have dropped dramatically, with the cost of distinguished luxury flights from Riyadh to Jeddah dropping from $351 to $222.
Early booking prices have also been lowered to $72 from $221.