Eid Al Fitr holidays in UAE: Hotels reaching ‘confirmed 100% occupancy’
With many residents opting for staycations to make the most of the last of this year's pleasant weather, hotels across the UAE are seeing numbers through the roof over the upcoming Eid Al Fitr holidays, with some properties registering a 'confirmed 100 percent' occupancy.
It is expected to be a five-day Eid Al Fitr holiday in the UAE from March 29 to April 2. Also read: Public sector workers may get 6-day holiday in Sharjah — from March 28 until April 2.
The period for travel and tourism is supposed to be in full swing in the UAE as the weather has been perfect but that period has been extended all the way till April.
In their report booking.com released Wednesday (Tuesday local time), March 26, booking. Demand outstripped our supply at houses and apartments → LastMinute.com data for Dubai found that 77 percent of stays places remained sold out between March 30 and April 2, a sign of strong demand at the first lengthy weekend of the year. In a week to go for Eid, hotels in popular locations like the Downtown and the Palm etc, occupancy will hit 100 percent.
Central Hotels and Resorts chief operating officer and general manager Abdulla Al Abdulla said: "The hotels are still running above 80 per cent occupancy, with 100 per cent occupancy in place for Eid Al Fitr."
Strategic marketing, partnerships with online travel agencies and a discount of 45 per cent across platforms, helped attract guests over Eid Al Fitr, he added.
Online travel marketplace Wego has found that local staycation searches have increased by three per cent in 2023, likely due a 54.04 per cent year-on-year plunge in average Dubai hotel rates during Ramadan.
According to its data, 4-star hotels accounted for 40.15 percent of bookings, which reflects travelers' preference for good quality in hotels at reasonable prices for the value.
According to Abdulla, "Guests are mainly from European markets including the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands as well as a consistent pipeline of local UAE guests to keep all of our rooms full for the high season period.”
Bahi Ajman Palace and Coral Beach Resort Sharjah: "Demand for staycations is exceptionally strong at both properties this year during Eid Al Fitr," said Iftikhar Hamdani, general manger.
Sixty five per cent of our business is currently on the books and we expect to close the Eid period and the following week at 100 per cent occupancy, with strong average daily rates, now at 95 per cent from what we have on the books. Hamdani said: "This increase corresponds with the UAE national trend of increased preference towards local leisure destinations tourism even during periods associated with traditionally lower visitation such as Ramadan.
He continued that the hotels together sustained 90 per cent occupancy rate throughout March, indicating continued demand even during the slack season.
Bookings during Eid represent a mix of pent up demand from staycationers searching for quality hospitality product as well as our domestic market focus initiatives. The UAE residents embraced this initiative with both arms, as the entire stock allocated to such initiative was secured within no time. Hamdani said that following this overwhelming response and with the existing pace to reach full occupancy, there were no rooms left at either property during the Eid period.
The Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, also spoke of "strong demand for staycations, particularly from families and residents looking for a luxurious place to celebrate Eid".
This year, Eid Al-Fitr is hitting the region at just the right time — when the UAE weather is nice, spring breaks around the world will be happening and it's the first long holiday after New Year, said Thomas Kurian, hotel manager at Leva Hotels.
This provides hotel players with a fantastic opportunity, not just as the number of bookings from neighbouring GCC countries remains particularly strong. Spring school holidays occur during the same time frame across the world and we expect visitors arriving from key markets which include UK, Italy, Germany and Spain, thus making it a great time for families to travel to our shores with school holidays around the globe, added Kurian.
We expect a sizeable last-minute pickup as the holiday draws nearer, as is typical with a three to four day booking window. Over 50 per cent of its rooms are already booked based on our pre-booking data and the cities are likely to witness occupancy projections of 85-90 per cent booked, a manager at Leva Hotels managing said.
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