UAE tourism up 18 percent

Dubai’s travel industry is experiencing a bullish trend this Ramadan, up by 18 percent over that of 2010 mostly traceable to special airfare packages.

An Emirates spokesperson said that Emirates bookings from Dubai during the month of Ramadan are strong, with the airline witnessing a marked increase in bookings when compared with last year.

“This increase is a result of a number of factors, notably Ramadan falling within the full month of August in addition to our increased capacity and a number of new route launches, including Copenhagen on August 1,” the spokesperson said.

Emirates’ key markets for travel during Ramadan include Middle East points, the UK, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur and Colombo.

Meanwhile, Etihad’s performance during this summer continues to be in line with its projections, a spokesperson of the airline said. “We have witnessed a double digit growth during this period.” The spokesperson said that there has been a huge demand for travel to and from Europe, Asia and Australia. “While we still have some limited seats available to these destinations, the demand has exceeded our growth plans, with the majority of flights operating at peak capacity during this busy period.

The UAE and Abu Dhabi in particular has been in high demand from European markets, which is taking advantage of the various promotions we offer to visit the capital city during the holy month of Ramadan.”