Agencies: Planning and early reservations are gaining priority and special importance during the current year
A strong peak for travel this summer .. and expectations of significant increases in ticket prices
The travel sector faces pent-up demand, which coincides with limited seating capacity
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Travel agency officials stressed that planning and early reservation of airline tickets is of particular importance, in light of the current circumstances, with high oil prices, pent-up demand for travel, as well as limited seating capacity, compared to pre-Covid-19 levels.
They expected "Emirates Today" that this year will witness three major travel peaks, most notably during the summer in the months of July and August, coinciding with the start of school vacations and the Eid al-Adha holiday, and that the demand will exceed the levels of supply available from seat capacity, especially to the most popular destinations.
Early booking
"Early planning and booking airline tickets is one of the best ways to avoid costs and high price hikes," said Mohammed Jassim Al-Rais, Executive Vice President of Al-Rais Travel, pointing to the difficulty of predicting ticket price levels in light of the current circumstances, with high fuel prices.
Al Rayes added that "this year will witness several peaks of travel, most notably during the month of July, coinciding with the start of school vacations and the Eid al-Adha holiday," noting that demand will also rise during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, as well as winter vacations in December, stressing the importance of early planning for those wishing. to travel during these periods.
He expected the school holiday to peak in July, the largest, in terms of travel demand, pointing to a "pent-up demand" for travel, as a large segment of people had not traveled for two years.
He explained that "with the high demand, seats may not be available, in case the customer wants to book at the last minute."
Travel Peaks
In addition, Sherif Al-Farm, CEO of Serenity Travel, said, “The current indicators indicate a noticeable peak of travel during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, in addition to a stronger and longer peak in terms of time during the next July and August,” referring to other periods that coincide with Holidays and public holidays, when demand rises to significant levels.
He explained that "prices this year are linked to several factors, including fuel costs," expecting that demand will exceed the levels of available supply of seat capacity, especially to the most popular and sought-after destinations.
Al-Farm stressed the importance of preparing early for peak periods for those wishing to travel, noting that ticket prices double within a relatively short period, with the approach of the travel date in peak periods.
He stressed that the part of the rise in oil prices is an additional factor that may have an impact on prices during the current year.
flight costs
In the same context, the Director-General of Al-Faisal Travel and Tourism Agency, Yassin Diab, said that "this year, as in previous seasons, will witness several peaks for travel to and from the local market," expecting that the demand for travel will rise to its highest levels during the summer. , coinciding with the end of the school season and the Eid al-Adha holiday.
It was agreed that planning and early reservations are gaining priority and special importance during the current year, pointing to several factors, including fluctuations in oil prices, and “pent-up demand” for travel. Especially to some destinations.
He cautioned that the available supply of seats and flights is less than pre-pandemic levels, and therefore, at a time when peak times are expected to witness significant increases in ticket prices.
Diab believed that these factors combined will play a prominent role in controlling the prices of airline tickets, expecting that travel costs will be high this year, and that the demand for some destinations may be greater than others, based on the number of flights and seat capacity.
Al-Abedy: The pandemic, fuel prices and the number of flights..completely new variables
The head of «Al-Abedy Holding Company for Tourism and Travel», Saeed Al-Abedy, said that «the current indicators indicate a large demand for travel during the current year, compared to its levels in the previous year», noting that this will affect the level of ticket prices, especially with the increases in travel tickets. fuel prices.
Al-Abedy added: "Based on that, we have already seen early bookings for Eid Al-Fitr and the summer season," noting that a large part of the dealers are planning to travel early this year.
Al-Abedy explained that “the air travel sector is facing completely new changes this year due to the pandemic, fuel prices, and fewer flights, compared to pre-pandemic levels.”
He pointed out that ticket prices on scheduled flights, which coincide with peak periods, are currently at higher levels compared to normal times, noting that the prices of these flights gradually rise, the higher the rate of booking on a single flight.
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