Online travel company: Flight bookings from the UAE fall 20 % year on year

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March is usually a time for bumper getaway bookings from the Emirates as being schools roll towards planting season break, but international air travel bookings from the UAE experience fallen 20 % in the past fourteen days when compared to the same period last year.

We haven't seen drastic increases in rebookings, maybe because people are still apprehensive and want to observe how everything pans out prior to making travel plans

Amit Taneja

The ongoing spread of Covid-19 means spring travel has taken a dip this season, according to global online travel company Cleartrip.

“We have seen a much sharper decline in market demand in the second half of February when compared with the first, which decline has continued on March,” explained Amit Taneja, chief professional officer at Cleartrip.

Countries which may have been badly influenced by Covid-19 such as China, Iran, Japan, Italy and Korea have predictably seen a significant drop in air travel bookings, but other destinations are also seeing a drop popular from travellers from the UAE.

Which destinations have seen the largest drop in bookings?
- Cleartrip recorded fewer airline flight bookings from the UAE to the united kingdom, with a share drop of 33 %, compared to the same period this past year.

- Lebanon had a 33-per-cent dip popular, and airline flight bookings to France with Cleartrip have got decreased by 31 %.

- Happen to be neighbouring Oman is also slowing, with flight bookings down 28 %.

- India has documented a drop popular, with airline flight bookings from the UAE down 27 %, according to the travel company.

And cancellations?
restrictions, travel bans and the last-minute change of dates for springtime break in the UAE in addition has led to a growth in cancellation costs, said Cleartrip. The travel company recorded a 23-per-cent upsurge in cancellations in the last week of February and earliest week of March, in comparison with the fee in January.

Destinations with the best cancellation costs from UAE travellers include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Sudan (figures were tabulated prior to the short-term suspension of flights from the UAE to Saudi Arabia).

“We've had high increases on cancellations along Mena locations, such as Saudi, Bahrain, Kuwait and Sudan, accompanied by Singapore, Italy, France, Germany and Turkey,” Mr Taneja stated.

Several airlines are providing refunds or rebooking options to passengers forced to cancel trips due to the coronavirus crisis. UAE teachers who had travel booked for the initial spring break period have already been offered a complete refund on flights from Etihad, the nationwide airline of the UAE. Other airlines are likewise relaxing booking policies.

Longer-term outlook
While spring travelling typically sees a growth in bookings from the UAE to several countries to coincide with Easter and college holidays, the affect of the coronavirus crisis is likely to change this pattern.

“Usually we visit a spike in bookings to the Philippines about February and March. This hasn't occurred to the expected levels this time around. Travel to France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Europe on the whole has seen the biggest fall-off this week,” Mr Taneja said.

It also appears that the longer the crisis lasts, the more travellers are actually opting to cancel rather than delay travel plans.

“We haven't seen drastic increases in rebookings, probably because persons are still somewhat apprehensive and prefer to observe how everything pans away before making travel strategies,” he said.
Dip in UAE resort bookings
Despite a drop in worldwide flight bookings and a growth in cancellation costs on flights from the UAE, the local market isn't reaping the great things about travellers staying put.

According to Cleartrip, there's been a 27-per-cent drop in local resort bookings when compared to same holiday period this past year. Localized hotelier Bin Majid Accommodations & Resorts documented a drop in bookings at its Longbeach Campground in Ras Al Khaimah. The glamping vacation spot, which has just lately opened on weekdays furthermore to weekends, approximated a 5 % to 7 % drop in bookings because of this time of the year, compared to last year.

Drop in ticket prices
With this drop popular for travel has come a dip in ticket charges for flights for some destinations. Cleartrip documented a 15-per-cent drop in average submitted fares in the last two weeks, versus the fares of the same period in 2019.

Countries in South Asia such as for example India, Pakistan and Nepal had the best drop in ticket prices from the UAE, with near to a 20 per cent reduction in average fares.

Other areas of Asia had a 14 per cent average drop on ticket rates, with destinations such as for example Manila, Singapore and Bangkok recording cheaper ticket rates on flights.

Regionally, Cleartrip documented a 12 % drop in fare charges for Mena destinations such as for example Riyadh, Cairo, Muscat and Beirut, compared to the previous year. However, many destinations that have got a slow-down in airline flight bookings have not had an identical drop in fares.

According to Cleartrip, metropolitan areas across Europe including London, Munich, Milan and Amsterdam have had a marginal drop in air travel prices, with fares straight down by 2 per cent on average.
Source: https://www.thenational.ae

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