New global insight highlights latest summer travel trends including the new “peak” season, insider tips for booking last minute escapes and Eid Al Fitr
10 May 2021 – Dubai, UAE Leading global travel marketplace Skyscanner today announced the trending destinations for Eid Al Fitr 2021 and the extended summer period. The research demonstrates that the time is now for travel, as MENA travellers are eager to travel safely and responsibly as soon as they can.
The top searches for travellers within the UAE and Saudi Arabia during the Eid period included Cairo, Amman and Alexandria for families, whereas groups are turning their attention to Ibiza and Malaga and couples are looking to go to the Maldives, Mauritius and Santorini. For UAE travellers, staycations are still prioritized, with Abu Dhabi, Fujairah or Ras Al Khaimah proving popular.
Top trending search destinations for families in 2021 Vs 2019:
| 2021 | 2019 | |
| 1 | Cairo | Kochi |
| 2 | Amman | Cairo |
| 3 | Alexandria | Amman |
| 4 | Tunis Carthage | Bengaluru |
| 5 | Auckland | Alexandria |
Top trending search destinations for couples in 2021 Vs 2019:
| 2021 | 2019 | |
| 1 | Maldives | Denpasar |
| 2 | Mauritius | Maldives |
| 3 | Santorini (Thira) | Phuket |
| 4 | Mykonos | Zanzibar |
| 5 | Newcastle | Johannesburg |
Top trending search destinations for groups in 2021 Vs 2019:
| 2021 | 2019 | |
| 1 | Ibiza | Amman |
| 2 | Malaga | Singapore |
| 3 | Chicago | Kuala Lumpur |
| 4 | Zurich | Hong Kong |
| 5 | Miami | Seoul |
According to Skyscanner’s recent travel trends report – ‘Skyscanner Horizons – The Return of Travel’ – that revealed the top trending destinations globally, Dubai was ranked the 4th most popular destination, likely driven by travellers looking for a holiday, as well as wanting to reunite with friends and family to celebrate Eid.
The comprehensive report also highlights that travellers are making their holidays count, as global average trip length is 16 days in 2021 – two days higher in comparison to 2019 averages. This is a result of shorter journey times as travellers opt for trips that are closer to home, particularly from June to September, with longer trips in October 2021. In 2019, the average journey time during June to October was 11 hours. This has fallen to 10 hours in 2021.
Ayoub El Mamoun, Global Travel Expert at Skyscanner shares his tips on how to bag a good last minute deal and plan ahead for future travels: “Safe and responsible travel remains a key topic for MENA consumers and with travel beginning to re-open across the region, travellers are eager to getting back out to explore again, as safely as possible. With the ever-changing travel restrictions, we’re seeing more and more travellers wait until the last minute to book travel. But it can be daunting for anyone thinking about a last-minute break to book with peace of mind. The best way to make sure you’re covered is purchasing a flexible ticket – you can use the Flexible search filter on Skyscanner to select flights with policies which entitle you to a refund, while others let you rearrange for another date if circumstances change. Travel insurance and the right level of cover is also more important than ever – make sure any existing policy you have in place covers you for the travel you are looking to book.”
Travel is returning in the region at a strong pace and we are seeing bright lights on the horizon for MENA outbound travel, with pent up demand for travel for UAE and Saudi Arabian travellers being particularly prolific. On Skyscanner, interest in both regional and international flights have increased steadily from UAE travellers, with a lift of 23% in searches and even more dramatically from Saudi travellers, where there was an increase of 110% in searches from February to March of this year.
The news follows the recent launch of Skyscanner’s Arabic platform, which is available on desktop, mobile web or via the app, enabling travellers to select Arabic as a language option to access more localised content, including local currency and a better user experience when linking to partner sites to complete their travel bookings.
In addition, when travellers select a flight option with a partner, they will automatically be redirected to the Arabic locale on the partner’s site, where it is offered as a language option, ensuring for a smoother, more user-friendly experience.
Skyscanner is already a well-established player in the region, with Etihad Airways, Emirates and Air Arabia all participating in the travel marketplace’s direct booking platform.
Four hacks for how to find cheap last-minute flights:
· Higher, lower!
Signing up for price alerts is the easiest, most effective way to get more bang for your buck. You can mark a flight you’re interested in and Skyscanner will email you every time the price goes up or down. If you’re able to take a bit of a gamble and wait it out, the price might drop right at the last minute.
· Flex is the word
In the past, being flexible with travel might have meant flying at anti-social times to get a good price. But now with travel restrictions changing at the drop of a hat, it’s important to know what the change policies are on flight tickets and accommodation. These policies are highlighted on Skyscanner searches, for how to book last minute travel that can be changed easily.
· Mix & Match to save
No, it’s not a summer fashion trend, but mix and matching the airlines you choose to fly with can cut costs. Fares don’t have to be booked as returns, so compare prices and look at flying out with one airline and back with another to save for holiday spending when you’re there. Also if you can consider travelling a day before or a day after your original departure dates, flying on less popular days of the week is always cheaper.
· Search, everywhere?
If you’re looking for a change scene but not set on a specific destination, you might find it’s significantly cheaper if you switch up destination. You will need to check the latest travel restrictions before you travel but you can select the search filter ‘everywhere’ on Skyscanner and it will show you the best destination based on price for your preferred dates.
About Skyscanner
Founded in 2003, Skyscanner is a leading travel company dedicated to putting travellers first by making booking trips as simple as possible. Skyscanner helps more than 100 million people in 52 countries and over 30 languages find the best travel options for flights, hotels and car hire every month. Skyscanner is available on desktop, mobile web and its highly rated app has 110 million downloads. Working with 1200 travel partners, Skyscanner’s mission is to lead the global transformation to modern and sustainable travel.
After multiple high-profile investment rounds, including from Silicon-Valley based Sequoia Capital, Skyscanner was acquired by Trip.com Group in a deal valued at £1.4bn in 2016. Skyscanner remains operationally independent.
For more information, visit: https://www.skyscanner.net/about-us