UAE selects Southeast Asia and Europe as top spots

Dubai: Southeast Asia and Europe emerged as the top destinations for UAE vacationers in 2006, according to Emirates Holidays, a unit of Emirates Group.

Malaysia was the top draw for Gulf residents, with Emirates carrying some 8,600 passengers who collectively made 30,000 hotel bookings through the Emirates Holidays service. Close behind was Thailand, which saw 7,900 passengers and 26,000 hotel stays, according to Abdul Noor Hassan, Emirates tactical manager for Gulf and Middle East.

Germany ranks third

The history and grandeur of Europe was almost as alluring as Southeast Asia's tropical getaways, with Germany ranking as the third most popular destination for outbound travel.

A total of 5,900 holidaymakers visited Germany for nearly 15,000 nights booked, followed by 5,000 travellers who visited the United Kingdom.

Other top destinations for Emirates Holidays customers in 2006 includes Mauritius, Maldives, Egypt, Singapore, France, India and Australia.

With the summer holiday season approaching, airlines and tour operators have already begun offering new options for Europe travel to promote this popular destination.

New service

Their timing is critical, as May through June are the busiest two months on the holiday booking calendar - Emirates Holidays receives 60 per cent of its bookings during this two-month period, for example.

Lufthansa Airlines has just launched a new holiday brochure listing tour packages and tailor-made vacations to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom.

The new service, HolidayEurope, allows vacationers to select a variety of car rental and accommodation options in these five countries.

"With HolidayEurope, we are able to use the extensive network of Luft-hansa across Europe so our customers can truly experience the travel and a taste of Europe's vast history," said Uwe Wriedt, Luft-hansa director for the Gulf and Pakistan.