Dubai: Travellers from the UAE are targeting countries in Europe and Asia for their summer holidays due to the good weather, according to travel industry experts.

“The summer seems to be very busy with a lot of people trying to take their vacation before the Ramadan season,” said Kulwant Singh, Managing Director of Lama Group.

Europe continues to be a popular destination for UAE travellers, with France and Italy in the top five summer destinations, according to Gassan Aridi, Chief Executive at Alpha Tours.

The UK is another top destination, says Manu Mehrotra, general manager of Al Tayer Travel Agency.

However, Aridi said that, unlike last year, London is not among the top five destinations this summer, partially due to the attacks on Emirati nationals in the city last month.

Australia, too, is among the top summer destinations, he said.

Brazil is popular this year since the country will host the 2014 Fifa World Cup, which will be held between June 12 and July 13, according to Singh.

Meanwhile, some travellers are looking to go to short-haul destinations, such as Singapore and Sri Lanka, he said.

Thailand

Bali, Indonesia has received a higher number of bookings from the UAE for stays during June and July, according to Tarique Khatri, Senior Vice-President of Business Development at travel portal ClearTrip.

But for neighbouring Thailand demand has dropped compared to last summer.

“Thailand has dropped as a preferred destination for travellers. People don’t want to go to Thailand due to the political situation over there,” Khatri said.

Foreign tourists numbers fell six per cent to 6.6 million from January to March as political demonstrations in the country discouraged travel.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched marketing campaigns to lure visitors back.

Meanwhile, Istanbul, Turkey has seen an increase in demand from travellers. The city accounted for “ 3-4 per cent of searches” in April and May, according to Khatri. “Istanbul is back in action this year,” he added.

Other destinations that have attracted more demand compared to the previous year include Alexandria, Egypt, Casablanca, Morocco and Athens, Greece, he said.

Travellers started booking hotel rooms in March, with the majority of bookings in May, experts said. The average length of stay is between seven and 20 days