Due to a sharp spike in ticket costs last winter—more than fifty percent—many UAE citizens were forced to scramble to modify their vacation plans.
Travel specialists in the area underlined that many locals have had to reconsider their original plans to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve in their home countries as a result of this abrupt increase. As a result, more and more people are choosing to enjoy the holidays in the United Arab Emirates, where the spirit of celebration is in full flow.
Lakshmi Anand, Managing Partner of S&T Travel Dubai, stated in an interview with No Brokerage Dubai that “flight tickets have increased by 50 to 60 per cent in December 2023 since the school holidays started.” In contrast to summer vacations, when prices are in the Dh2,000 area, famous tourist destinations like Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan have flights starting at Dh3,200. Due to the increasing demand, land packages to these locations have also escalated. This winter, flights to home nations including India, Pakistan, and the Philippines will witness a 50% increase until the second week of January 2024.
Travel operators often highlight the fact that families usually take a winter vacation to return home. But in order to get better deals, people who do this typically book many months in advance.
The majority of travellers are housebound, which is also typical for this time of year. During this period, airfares climbed all around the world. The increase in travel costs to the US, India, and Europe is evident. With a 50–60% increase in prices over the previous month during school breaks, prices have nearly doubled. The majority of people are returning home instead of travelling for vacation, according to Raheesh Babu, COO of musafir.com.
Many choose to take staycations and road trips.
Residents express disappointment at the sharp rise in ticket prices, saying they are ready to go home and spend time with their family.
“My husband and I were initially thinking of travelling to Paris, but getting leave was an issue for my husband,” French expat Marie Dubois stated. Then, a coworker of his who had previously requested a leave of absence cancelled his plans because of an emergency in his family (here). Unfortunately, the cost had significantly increased by the time we could purchase our tickets.