Europe's heat wave won't keep UAE holidaymakers away

Despite the heat wave that Europe is reeling under, it continues to be a "cool" destination for UAE residents. Those who have made earlier holiday trips to European retreats contend that the weather wouldn't play spoilsport.
Dubai resident Alisha Moopen, executive director & CEO of Aster and Medcare Hospitals & Clinics, GCC, who is back from her vacation in Austria said: "Europe is getting hot, but the hotels out there are geared up to beat the heat as they have upgraded amenities. Europe offers you the opportunity to live and experience the outdoor life more as compared to the UAE. I strongly recommend to those who are travelling to Europe to carry less warm clothes and look forward to the brighter side of the vacation."
Similarly, Deepak N Jadhav, a UAE resident, who has travelled to Europe thrice in the last four years, said: "Though it's getting warmer as compared to earlier times, there's so much to enjoy there with your family: from nature to history. This time my family will be exploring eastern European countries as they are mostly unexplored and budget-friendly too."
The number of searches on both flights and hotels for the past six months on Wego - online platform - for travellers from the UAE to Europe hit around 499,750. According to the Colliers research, the UK, France, Switzerland and Sweden will be the top European destinations for GCC nationals to visit, with the UK expected to account for 890,000 trips by 2023.
Himanshu Sampat, business head of UAE, Cox & Kings Tours, said: "As Europe gets warmer, UAE travellers are checking for information prior to embarking on the travel. Hotels in Europe have already started to refurbish the properties accordingly as well as adding coolers where required. Travellers are carefully planning their daily agenda so as to escape the heat wave."
Sampat said that temperatures last year hit almost 40 degrees Celsius in Italy and almost 35-37 degrees Celsius in Austria. This year, the temperatures in popular destinations like Switzerland, France, Austria, Amsterdam, Italy and UK are currently higher than normal. In Italy, it is as high as 37 degrees Celsius.
But UAE residents say that the soaring temperature in Europe won't impede their vacations plans. They are excited about their holiday, even as they make some necessary changes to their itinerary.
GCC travel to EU countries is expected to grow by 50 per cent, with 6 million GCC residents projected to visit Europe by 2023. The Colliers data indicates that Saudi Arabia will lead this growth with 2.98 million of the Kingdom's residents travelling to Europe in 2023, followed by 1.73 million UAE residents, 600,000 Kuwaitis, 340,000 Bahrainis and 210,000 Omanis.
People visit European destinations to know about its culture and history - as well as its retail and luxury hospitality offerings.
Carol Mathias, product manager of Europe for Holidayme, said: "The ever changing landscapes, food, culture and activities that one can experience with a short drive or train ride in Europe in spite of the rise of temperatures draw the multitudes from this region. With the airlines exploring to connect more of North, East and Central Europe has made it more affordable and easily accessible to both expats and UAE nationals alike. Tourism boards are aggressively competing with each other to have a larger piece of the pie by encouraging the locals to cater to the Arab travellers needs for accommodation and services."
- sandhya@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai

Sandhya D'Mello

sandhya@khaleejtimes.com