Dubai holidays prove popular for October Half Term Holidays

October half term is the favourite time of year for families taking overseas holidays according to a recent survey carried out by Skyscanner.

The survey revealed that Dubai holidays were among the favourites for families going abroad during the half term holiday at the end of October. The findings also revealed that 25 per cent of families prefer to travel at this time of year because it offers better value than peak summer months.

Image by : Åndrey, on Flickr.

The survey also revealed that 23 per cent of travellers preferred the weather in October to the sweltering months of July and August. This is one of the reasons why travellers prefer to take Abu Dhabi and Dubai holidays at this time of year compared to the uncomfortably high temperatures and humidity during the summer months.

Image by: Britrob, on Flickr.

The number of travellers searching Skyscanner for Dubai and Abu Dhabi holidays in October has nearly doubled in the past two weeks as people plan towards their half term breaks.

Spain was the most popular overall destination searched for by travellers planning family holidays, with the United States and Italy following closely behind. Spain also came out at amongst the top spots when participants were asked for their best ever family holiday destination, coming in second place to America.

A huge 31 per cent of survey respondents said that their ideal family holiday would be to Florida theme parks; 30 per cent wanted to take beach holidays while 21 per cent would choose safari holidays in Africa.

Skyscanner Travel Editor, Sam Baldwin, said: "It's clear from our rankings that good value destinations are ever popular with families, and with many Eurozone countries feeling the effect of the recession these destinations are proving as popular as ever."

Image by: slleong, on Flickr.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are two of the most popular destinations and there has been an increase in travellers booking holidays to the Middle East. Dubai is located on the northern coast of the United Arab Emirates and boasts an array of upscale hotels, sandy beaches and tourist attractions such as the Dubai Marina, Dubai, Jumeirah Mosque and the Wild Wadi Park.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and is a fantastic destination for luxury holidays with many luxury hotels, private beaches and shopping malls including the Marina Mall, the three-story Abu Dhabi Mall and Al Wahda Mall. Yas Island is a Mecca for motor sporting enthusiasts and will be host to the Formula One Etihad Airways Grand Prix Abu Dhabi which is scheduled to take place in November, 2011.

 

About the Author

Orlando Consuegra has worked on the Cuba holiday industry from its very begining, initially as a Tour Guide for Saga and Kuoni, he travelled the island helping thousands of holiday makers to make the most for their holiday in Cuba.

Praised by many as one of the best tour guides in Cuba, both for his impeccable knowledge and his very correct manners, Orlando got promoted to Guides Coordinator in the Cubanacan Travel Agency. During this period Orlando helped organise fam trips for European tour operators as part of the insertion of Cuba in the world's holiday industry.

Promoted again as General Supervisor of The Holiday Place in Cuba, Orlando helped build very strong relationships with all the hotels in Cuba while enforcing a very high level of service and attention to all company's clients.

Orlando writes a blog "Know Cuba holidays like Us" at The Cuba Experience website where he shares his deep knowledge in Cuba and its holiday industry.

Abu Dhabi International Airport Records Passenger Growth and Increase in Winter Flights

Abu Dhabi International Airport recorded successful figures in August, 2011 as passenger traffic reached 1.09 million and cargo traffic reached 39,841 tonnes.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company recently released a traffic report that revealed a 14 per cent increase in the number of travellers visiting the airport for Abu Dhabi holidays or taking flights to global destinations.

Abu Dhabi International Airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the world and during the first eight months of 2011, it has grown by 12.2 per cent.

Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports Company, James E. Bennett, explained: "The continuous increase of Abu Dhabi International Airport's passenger traffic goes in parallel with the growth that the Emirate is witnessing in trade, industry and tourism. Up to August, we have welcomed 8,000,000 passengers through our airport, providing efficient and high-quality services. We continuously monitor the market and the travel trends, to ensure that Abu Dhabi international Airport offers enhanced connectivity and an increased number of destinations and frequencies to all travellers."

Image by: mikecogh, on Flickr.

The increase of passengers in August is said to be partly due to travellers arriving to take holidays in Abu Dhabi for the Eid al Fitr festival, as well as the healthy growth of airlines.

The top five routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport during August were London, Jeddah, Doha, Bangkok, and Manila.
Abu Dhabi Airports Company recently announced that it would also be offering 900 weekly flights this winter; an eight per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

Between November 2011 and March 2012, travellers will be offered 900 weekly flights from Abu Dhabi to destinations across five continents around the world. The new winter schedule is a joint effort between the Abu Dhabi Airports Company and airlines to offer a wider selection for travellers taking Abu Dhabi holidays and connecting routes to other global destinations.

Image by: J.Elliott, on Flickr.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates is expecting a high number of travellers to take holidays to Abu Dhabi this winter season as it hosts a collection of major international and regional events such as the 2011 Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the Eid Al Adha and Hajj celebrations in November.

Abu Dhabi hotels are expected to be full of visitors during these significant events next month and many airlines are enhancing their schedules to offer more flights to the city.

Image by: slleong, on Flickr.

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of Abu Dhabi has also launched new destinations in its 2011/2012 winter schedule to Chengdu, Dusseldorf, Male and the Seychelles.

Chief Operating Officer for Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Ahmad Al Haddabi, said: "As the Emirate of Abu Dhabi gears up for the busy coming months, with major international, local events and holidays taking place, Abu Dhabi Airports Company is continuously adapting its plans and developments to deliver services that would exceed the expectations and demands of its travellers and airlines partners equally.

"Saying this, we value the commitment of all our airlines to work with us in fulfilling this objective as they strive to increase their frequencies and launch new destinations to accommodate the market's needs."

 

About the Author

Orlando Consuegra has worked on the Cuba holiday industry from its very begining, initially as a Tour Guide for Saga and Kuoni, he travelled the island helping thousands of holiday makers to make the most for their holiday in Cuba.

Praised by many as one of the best tour guides in Cuba, both for his impeccable knowledge and his very correct manners, Orlando got promoted to Guides Coordinator in the Cubanacan Travel Agency. During this period Orlando helped organise fam trips for European tour operators as part of the insertion of Cuba in the world's holiday industry.

Promoted again as General Supervisor of The Holiday Place in Cuba, Orlando helped build very strong relationships with all the hotels in Cuba while enforcing a very high level of service and attention to all company's clients.

Orlando writes a blog "Know Cuba holidays like Us" at The Cuba Experience website where he shares his deep knowledge in Cuba and its holiday industry.

Etihad Airways celebrates 5 years of flights between Abu Dhabi and Paris

Abu Dhabi's national airline, Etihad Airways, is celebrating five years of operating direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Paris, France. The airline has taken more than 777,000 travellers to their Abu Dhabi holidays over the last five years with its non-stop services to and from Paris.

Since its launch in May, 2006, Etihad Airways has enjoyed 75 per cent of passengers on its flights to and from Abu Dhabi and in 2011 this amount has increased to 77 per cent.

Image by: *Debs*, on Flickr

Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said: "Our Paris operation has exceeded our expectations over the past five years, and we are pleased to be able to build on this success with the additional frequency we put in place in July this year, going double-daily.

"This year we will carry 200,000 travellers on the Abu Dhabi-Paris route, up 16 per cent from 173,000 in 2010. By April 2012, we expect to have carried one million travellers overall on the route since its inception.

"A logical step for us is to open a signature Etihad premium lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport, and I'm delighted to announce that we have started planning this."

Over the past five years, the airline has carried 51,500 tons of cargo on flights to Abu Dhabi and Paris. The carrier's annual cargo figures have increased from 5,000 tons when the service was first launched, to 15,000 tons.

Holidaymakers travelling with Etihad Airways to Abu Dhabi holidays from Paris can enjoy flights onboard Airbus A330 and Airbus A340 aircraft, both of which operate three-cabins comprising Diamond First, Pearl Business, and Coral Economy class seats. Each week the airline operates 7,124 seats for both business travellers and tourists taking luxury holidays to the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Image by: bkaree1, on Flickr

In addition to operating Abu Dhabi flights, Etihad Airways also provides routes for Dubai holidays and flights to over 70 destinations across the world including Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, Canada, the United States, China, Japan, India, Thailand, South Africa and the Seychelles.

Hogan added: "By year end, we forecast we will turnover US$4 billion, have carried 8.4 million travellers, and have 1.3 million Etihad Guest members. All this will have been achieved despite a still fragile global economy and, at times, challenging operating conditions.

"We remain committed to building the Etihad brand in the French market, offering customers great choice, connectivity, and value. Working closely with our new codeshare partner SNCF French Railways, the travel industry, the business community and governments, we look forward to deepening the strong relationship between France and the United Arab Emirates."

About the Author

Born in Cuba and having lived and studied in London for over 5 years, Susana is a recent university graduate with a passion for travel who has taken much inspiration from the exotic destination she has visited throughout the years.

Upon graduating she has ultimately come to join an important UK tour operator specialised in Cuba holidays to share her love for travel with holidaymakers as the company's very own travel reporter and news editor. Her interest in the tourism industry was formed from a very early age, following her father's footsteps, a travel representative and manager, who worked for Cuba's national air carrier and whose travelling job was also the reason she found herself travelling from an early age and living in different parts of the world with her family.

Having travelled extensively herself, throughout her home country in Cuba, Europe and other faraway destinations in Asia and the Middle East, including exotic hot spots like China and Egypt, she continues to nourish and build upon her tourism knowledge to bring our travel readers with a fresh outlook on the latest happenings in the holiday industry.