London was the most popular overseas destination among Middle East travellers during the Eid Al Adha break, according to a hotel price comparison site.
The United Kingdom capital beat last year’s favourite, Istanbul, by a small margin, according to Hotels-Combined data on online hotel booking demand in the lead-up to Eid.
“I think the weather played a big factor. London still had nice weather,” said Amer Al Halabi, the regional manager Middle East and North Africa (Mena) for Hotels Combined. “Second, most GCC travellers had spent enough time in the popular destinations like Dubai during the last Eid, and the airlines had very good offers during these periods.”
The longer break also played a part, making it worthwhile to travel farther afield, he added.
Tourists to London spent an average of Dh11,880 on accommodation, significantly higher than Dubai, which remained the top destination in the region and had an average stay value of Dh7,380.
“Dubai’s emphasis on family focused events and its 48-hour shopping sales throughout Eid attract a lot of interest among Mena travellers, especially those from Saudi Arabia,” said Mr Al Halabi.
However, Abu Dhabi, which was second in the GCC and had an average stay of Dh4,752, made headway, with a 100 per cent increase in demand.
“It gained a lot of searches this year compared to last year with the new hotels and resorts that they have,” said Mr Al Halabi.
Other top Eid destinations included Kuala Lumpur and Paris.
gduncan@thenational.ae
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