Dubai: Most UAE residents are still probably reeling from their last Eid holiday break in another country, but travel experts are already sharing their insights on which vacation hotspots are at the top of everyone's must-visit list.
According to a new report, the UAE is actually one of the top ten places that people from the region love travelling to the most.
The latest ranking based on flight and hotel searches showed the UAE ranks number five as a magnet for travellers from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, a position that it has been holding on to for the last four quarters.
Overall, Egypt leads the way followed by India and Saudi Arabia, according to Wego.
Egypt
Other top destinations
Residents in the region, which is home to millions of expatriates from various countries worldwide, also love to fly to Germany, Azerbaijan, United States, Georgia and France.
Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria, Germany
The online travel marketplace has been tracking down searches made by users of its apps and websites.
While the UAE has held on to the fifth position in the latest study, Dubai in particular has managed to improve its ranking by one position in 2018, thanks to growing visitor interest from Saudi Arabia.
Trips to the Philippines also posted strong growth in the second half of the year, and this is believed to be driven by expats travelling home during Ramadan, coupled with the marketing efforts by the country’s tourism department and the opening up of new airline routes.
Coron in Palawan, Philippines
Another favourite, Georgia, is ranked number 19. The country’s capital, Tbilisi, is just about three hours and 30 minutes away by plane from Dubai.
Tbilisi, Georgia
Wego’s data also showed that there seems to be a growing interest among Mena-based travellers in places like Azerbaijan, now ranked number 17 among the top destinations, up three spots from the second quarter last year.
Azerbaijan
“Working in Azerbaijan’s favour is the fact that it’s only a short flight from the Mena region, and offers great weather, halal food and cultural familiarity,” Wego said in a statement.
“It’s also a great example of why any destination that is serious about tourism needs to streamline their visa policies.”
Top 10 destinations globally for Mena-based travellers
1. Egypt
2. India
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Turkey
5. UAE
6. Indonesia
7. Jordan
8. Philippines
9. Pakistan
10. Morocco
The rest of the top 25 destinations
11. Lebanon
12. Sudan
13. Thailand
14. United Kingdom
15. Malaysia
16. Germany
17. Azerbaijan
18. United States
19. Georgia
20.Bosnia and Herzegovina
21. Kuwait
22. Oman
23. France
24. Sri Lanka
25. Bahrain
Source: Wego
