Jason Miles
Qatar – As more people plan to travel for the Eid Al Fitr celebrations, airfares to some of the most well-liked vacation spots have jumped dramatically.
Although air travel during Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr is still far below pre-pandemic levels in the majority of GCC nations, inbound travel has rebounded more quickly.
More people are hoping to take advantage of the lengthy Eid holiday to travel now that it has been announced that the first day of Eid will be today and that a number of travel restrictions have already been lifted in the area and internationally.
Irfan Omer, General Manager of Happy Dreams Travels, claims that because there is such strong demand for flights to popular locations, prices have climbed by roughly 30 to 35%.
The cheapest flights from Doha to Dubai often cost between QR790 and QR1,050, according to a fast search. The same travel now costs between QR1,170 and QR2,000, though.
“As of right now and for the upcoming days, airfares are going higher for the London, Istanbul, and Dubai flights,” Omer said, adding that locations like the Maldives remain alluring because the cost of travel is comparatively similar, while Beirut and Muscat witness sizable attention.
According to him, medical tourism to Thailand is still growing, making it a popular destination for visitors from Qatar.
The most well-liked locations in recent years have been the Schengen Area, Dubai, Thailand, Georgia, and Turkiye.
“Request for the Maldives has been strong due to the great weather and little price increase of the trip package. Lebanon and Oman are also doing well because their airfares are comparable to Qatar’s and nearly identical. In comparison to earlier, Kuwait likewise has lower demand. But despite the price hikes, destinations like London, Dubai, Bangkok, and Istanbul continue to draw tourists, he added.
Because of Qatar’s advantageous location at the nexus of East and West, major international travel hubs are typically 6-7 hours away from the nation.
Since most of the world’s population is within a 6-hour flight of Qatar, it is simpler for individuals to plan excursions to the nearby tourist destinations.
Even though he wasn’t sure if Eid would be today or on Saturday, Mikel, a native of Doha, said he booked his travel to Dubai last week in anticipation of the rush during the holiday.
I haven’t left Doha since the plague, I’m sorry. I have roughly a week off work for Eid, so I got my ticket earlier in the week out of a leap of faith, he added.
