Revealed: How much it will cost to travel during the Islamic festival

With the Eid Al Adha break falling just before the summer holiday in the UAE, vacation time has come early for residents. The UAE will have a six-day weekend to mark the Islamic festival — from Tuesday, June 27, till Sunday, July 2.

Moldovan resident in Dubai Inga Steytler has already started her vacation and left for her home country. “That’s because Eid holidays are falling just before summer vacations this year. We are all extremely excited and looking forward to travelling back and seeing my parents.”

The mother of two said the early vacation will not impact her children’s education. “As it is, schools in the last week usually have year-end activities and teachers’ training sessions. So, we thought why not make the most of this week.”

The Dubai resident had initially planned a staycation this week. “But then we reconsidered our decision. We thought why spend extra money; we might as well utilise it to buy tickets and have an extended holiday.”

Steytler is among thousands of residents in the UAE who are travelling by combining a part of the summer vacation with the Eid Al Adha break.

Ukranian national Churykova Iryna will be holidaying for more than two months. She said she will leave for the UK on the first day of Eid with her family.

“My husband is from the UK and we will be there for about two weeks. After that, we will travel around Europe. We will be back in the UAE just before schools reopen after the summer break,” said Iryna.

Most residents have Eid travel plans
Flight comparison marketplace SkyScanner’s latest research suggests that a whopping 87 per cent of UAE travellers are planning to get away during the Eid holiday. The agency said it is seeing savvy UAE travellers maximise their annual leave during this holiday period, “as more than half of travellers search for trips that are a week long or less and 42 per cent sharing they prefer shorter flight times”.

‘Prices not rising on all routes’
According to Ayoub El Mamoun, Skyscanner travel expert, for 65 per cent of UAE travellers, price is very important factor in determining whether they would go on holiday during Eid.

“The good news is that even during busy periods like Eid or summer, which would normally be more expensive times to travel, prices are not rising on all routes, nor at the same rate, which means there are still competitive deals for travellers who remain flexible, are open to discovering new destinations and, most importantly, know how to shop around and compare fares.”

Tour operator Holiday Factory has listed all-inclusive deals that start from Dh2,800. According to online travel agency Musafir.com, the average cost of a holiday package per person is approximately Dh4,100, “which is considered economical for leisure trips”. The average duration for holidays is a 4-night/5-day travel package.

The agency said many residents are opting for two breaks: A short one for Eid, followed by a longer one during the summer break.

Most popular holidays
According to SkyScanner’s data, most residents from the UAE are planning to travel with family (74 per cent) and groups of friends (19 per cent). The three most popular types of trips are visiting family and friends abroad, outdoor adventure, and relaxing beach getaways.

The top 10 searched countries from the UAE for Eid Al Adha are:

>> The UK

>> The Philippines

>> India

>> Everywhere (55 per cent of UAE travellers would like to travel somewhere they have never been before this Eid. Everywhere search indicates that travellers don’t yet know where to go and are looking for inspiration and/or are being price conscious)

>> Thailand

>> Italy

>> Turkey

>> The USA

>> Indonesia

>> Maldives