Eid increases hotel bookings in key ME markets

Key markets in the Middle East are showing a spike in hotel occupancy on the books during Eid al-Fitr, according to STR’s Forward STAR data.

“While typically slower during Ramadan, leisure travel within the Middle East is set to resume during Eid,” said Kostas Nikolaidis, STR’s account executive, Middle East & Africa. “Many countries offer paid holidays for three to five days post-Ramadan, which is where we typically see spikes in occupancy. This year, however, Qatar announced an 11-day holiday, further extending the length of travel time available to celebrate the end of the Holy Month.”

When looking at the Eid travel period (as of 10 April), Abu Dhabi and Dubai show occupancy on the books peaking on Saturday, 22 April at levels of 59.7pc and 60.3pc, respectively.

In Qatar, however, occupancy on the books reaches its highest point on Sunday, 23 April (at 42.3pc).

“Qatar naturally operates at a lower occupancy when compared to Abu Dhabi and Dubai,” said Nikolaidis. “The extended Eid holiday period in the market this year may lead to lower occupancy peaks as demand could spread across more days. Overall, we are anticipating Eid to signal a return to the strong performance seen across the region lately, with Qatar projected to reach the 70pc mark, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai expected to achieve occupancy above 80pc during the holiday period.”

Last year during Eid, Qatar and Dubai’s occupancy spiked on 4 May at 78.2pc and 88.8pc, respectively, while Abu Dhabi saw its highest occupancy level on 3 May (at 85.4pc).

-B