TTN’s JONNA SIMON quizzed Kevin Arnold, regional manager at Emirates Holidays, on the winter trends at his agency
WHAT are the top five most popular destinations this winter?
Our top five most popular outbound destinations for this winter are Mauritius, the Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa as well as our ski packages to various European destinations.
Is it Arabs or expats travelling to these destinations?
Arabs account for about 60 per cent of our travellers to these destinations with the remainder expats of different nationalities.
How long do winter holidays tend to last?
Winter holidays cover a wide range, from short breaks of three to four days to more extended periods that take advantage of the Eid, Christmas and New Year breaks.
So are clients looking for more high-end luxury holidays or do they prefer budget breaks during the winter?
This entirely depends of the individual customer, but generally people are looking for an element of luxury in varying degrees for their winter holiday.
What new winter markets are opening up?
Destinations such as Greece, Turkey, Morocco and Sri Lanka are becoming popular.
What packages do you have for this winter?
Among the special deals we have on offer are four nights in Turkey (Istanbul) from Dh1,914 ($521), four nights in Jordan (Amman) from Dh1,966, four nights in Austria (Vienna) from Dh2,400, four nights in Cyprus (Aphrodite Hills) from Dh2,875, three nights in Singapore from Dh3,009, six nights in Morocco (Casablanca) from Dh3,806, four nights in Mauritius from Dh4,150, five nights in the Seychelles from Dh5,631 and seven nights in Thailand (Phuket) from Dh6,182. All prices are based on sharing twin rooms and inclusive of economy class Emirates air fare. Varying individual conditions are applicable on these packages such as airport transfers, breakfasts etc.