Abu Dhabi: A demand for holiday packages has witnessed a massive surge in United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the residents are likely to get the longest break on Eid Al Adha.
UAE residents will likely get a six-day holiday, the longest break of the year, for Eid Al Adha (Feast of Sacrifice).
According to the Islamic Hijiri calendar, Eid Al Adha will likely be from June 27 to June 30. Including weekends Saturdays and Sundays, residents and citizens would get a long six-day holiday.
An online travel agency, Musafir.com reports that Eid Al Adha’s demand for group tours and vacation packages is 37 percent higher than last year’s Eid Al Adha and 47 percent higher than Eid Al Fitr.
According to Mir Wasim Raja, manager of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events and Exhibitions) and holidays at Galadari Brothers International Travel Services (ITS), there is a lot of demand for Eid Al Adha travel to the UK, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan due to the ease with which visas can be obtained in these countries.
Travel preparations
As per bookings at Musafir, UAE, residents prefer to travel to places that are visa-free such as Kenya, Thailand, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Hotels began preparing for the Eid Al-Adha holiday and quickly offered a variety of deals on hotel rooms, including offers like one free night for every four paid nights.
Even though Eid Al-Adha falls outside of the usual peak season, a number of hotel managers surveyed by the Gulf predicted that hotels would experience strong occupancy during the holiday, relying on both domestic and international tourists, to take advantage of the warm sun in the Emirates.
In January 2023, the astronomer Ibrahim Al-Jarwan revealed, in a video clip, that the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah is expected to start on Monday, June 19, based on calculations.
Arafat Day will be the third and fourth major public holiday of the year, after New Year’s Day and Eid Al-Fitr.
Like the Eid Al-Fitr, confirmed dates for Eid Al Adha will only be announced according to the relevant moon sightings.
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