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UAE residents prefer complete holiday packages, finds survey

The Maldives, Georgia, and the United Kingdom have been listed as the top three preferred holiday destinations by vacationers in the UAE, HolidayMe has revealed.
The unique website - which offers on-the-fly customised travel solutions to customers across the Middle East - recently surveyed over 1,500 HolidayMe customers in the UAE, and found that nearly 50 per cent of the respondents planned a vacation once a year with 31.1 per cent holidaying twice a year. In addition, 12.6 per cent also said that they vacationed on a more frequent basis - once every quarter.
"This travel survey provides us with interesting information that we can harness to enhance our product and service offering and make more informed decisions. That UAE residents love to travel and explore the world is no secret however specifics like a preference for complete holiday packages, price range, family vacations among others are key to us offering intelligent and convenient customer service," noted Digvijay Pratap, co-founder of HolidayMe.
Thailand at 7.7 per cent, Netherlands at 5.4 per cent, Malaysia at 4.5 per cent, Turkey at 3.5 per cent, and Armenia at 2.1 per cent were the other holiday destinations among others that made it to the preferred list of UAE residents.
The survey also revealed that 79.4 per cent of the respondents preferred complete holiday packages that include hotels, flights, activities, and transportation; with those looking only for hotels and flights coming a distant second at 11.9 per cent; followed by 8.7 per cent seeking hotels, activities, and transportation.
The survey also revealed price consciousness among UAE residents with 85.3 per cent looking at a maximum per person spend of Dh2,500. Aditionally,18.8 per cent were willing to spend less than Dh500 per person for a holiday package, followed closely by 21.4 per cent, 24.4 per cent, and 20.7 per cent seeking packages in the range of Dh500-800, Dh800-1500, and Dh1500-2500 respectively.
Furthermore, 44 per cent of respondents said that they most often sought out family vacation packages, followed by couple's holidays at 38.2 per cent, and friends-only holidays at 13.7 per cent.
Geet Bhalla, CEO and co-founder of HolidayMe, said: "The UAE is a land of opportunities where dreams come true and when you couple this with its geographical proximity to most parts of the world, residents are spoiled for choice. The travel and tourism industry in the UAE for inbound and outbound travel is booming. With our unique holiday planning and booking services we are well positioned to leverage this opportunity and cater to the needs of residents by focusing on big data-driven solutions."
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com