Revealed: the top summer destinations...

Dnata Travel bookings show that value for money was a key driver for the UAE outbound market

Dnata Travel, one of the UAE’s longest serving travel providers, has announced the top five summer holiday destinations booked between June and September 2022.

The top five in order or popularity are:

1. Turkey
2. Thailand
3. Mauritius
4. Maldives
5. Switzerland

Turkey, which also featured in Dnata Travel’s top three summer travel destinations in 2021, was the most popular destination overall for a summer holiday from the UAE this year.

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Within Turkey, the major city of Istanbul, alongside Bodrum and Antalya on the Turkish Riviera, were the top three destinations for UAE travellers.

Thailand was the 2nd most popular destination

Meanwhile, Thailand recorded the biggest growth as a destination based on the number of holiday bookings between June and September 2022, compared to the same time period last year.

Dnata Travel head of Retail and Leisure UAE, Meerah Ketait commented: "Thailand is our top growth destination, as bookings increased significantly after the country fully reopened for tourism, and demand was driven by a rise in the availability of flights and the country’s incredible value-for-money proposition.

"Turkey, the top pick for a summer holiday in 2022, also offers great value, and major investments in tourism, with world-class new attractions, dining and accommodation options in Istanbul and the Turkish Riviera driving continued footfall from the UAE."

Ketait added: "International travel has strongly rebounded over summer. Last year, the Maldives, Turkey and Switzerland made up over 40% of our total bookings across June to September 2021. During the same time period in 2022, more than 25 destinations made up 40% of our overall bookings showing that many additional destinations have opened for tourism, and the pent-up demand is driving travellers to explore more of the world, including lesser known places and varied locations across popular hotspots.

According to Dnata Travel’s experts, Asia will continue to prove popular with growth in bookings and online searches for travel with Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia all showing signs of high demand.

As the festive season approaches, travel searches around Europe’s festive market hotspots are already witnessing traction, particularly Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

For more information, visit www.dnatatravel.com