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29 March 2024

UAE residents' top destinations and hotel choices for travel this year

Published
By Waheed Abbas

The summer holidays are approaching and families in the UAE are busy planning vacations to their dream destinations.

Be it to the cooler climes of Europe or mild Asia, UAE residents look to explore new destinations every time they travel.

But some destinations are quite popular among residents when it comes to family travel for certain reasons such as affordability, proximity and connectivity to the UAE, availability of high-end luxurious hotels and flying back to homeland to meet and greet relatives and friends, among others.

For this year, Egypt is top family destination for outbound tourists of the UAE followed by Istanbul and Jeddah, says Wego – a travel search website.

“The city’s Egyptian expats return to Cairo for family holidays giving it number one position for family travel. Istanbul and Jeddah are both easy flight times from Dubai and boast great family holiday experiences. Jordan’s capital of Amman comes in fourth most popular family destination, with lots of shopping and dining experiences, and historical monuments,” said Mamoun Hmedan, Managing Director of Wego Middle East, North Africa and India.

The UAE is reportedly one of the biggest source of outbound tourism from the Middle East region, with an average spending of more than Dh800 per person per night.

Among other top family destinations, based on Wego’s flight search volumes, for UAE residents are Thai cities of Bangkok, Puhket and Koh Samui. But residents looking for cooler climes will most likely be heading to Munich.

“Bangkok, in fifth place, is very popular with families, both the city itself and as a jumping off point to the holiday islands of Phuket and Koh Samui,” Hmedan said, adding that “Munich is popular as a shopping destination and to escape the heat in a cooler climate, while Kuala Lumpur is also attractive for shopping, dining and family attractions in the Genting Highlands and island resorts.”

Tbilisi, a pretty and historic city in Georgia, comes in at number nine, and Kuwait City comes at number ten.

Hotels preferences of UAE travellers

The UAE residents enjoy one of the world’s highest per capita income hence reflecting the high quality of life they enjoy. Based on this factor, they prefer to stay in high-end luxurious hotels during their family vacations.

“Four and five star hotels are most preferred for family travels, with 32 per cent of the UAE’s accommodation choices requesting four star accommodation and 48 per cent opting for five star properties,” said Wego’s Hmedan.

“For destinations and hotels to appeal to this extremely large travel segment, they need to be able to accommodate large groups comfortably,” Hmedan said in conclusion. “Many destinations are appealing to this lucrative market by including a variety of additional options and packages, such as complimentary kids’ meals, extra beds, activities and group transfers, to entice family travellers.”