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UAE Eid Al Fitr break starts tomorrow: No travel plans yet? Get last-minute flight tickets for as low as Dh1,135
Here's a guide to overseas holiday destinations you can still visit for three to four days without breaking the bank
File photo
UAE residents who have not made any travel plans yet for Eid Al Fitr can still take advantage of good deals. Airfares to some popular destinations can be booked for as low as Dh1,135, while holiday packages start at Dh1,500.
For outbound travel, countries in the Caucasus region, East Europe and CIS states are quite popular among residents who are looking to go on short trips of four to 10 days.
Budget airline flydubai is offering tickets to these regions at attractive last-minute booking rates from Dh1,135 for the Armenian capital Yerevan; Dh1,200 for Istanbul; Dh1,350 to Salalah; Dh1,380 to Tbilisi; Dh1,440 to Baku; Dh1,610 to Bulgarian city of Sofia and Dh2,010 to Milan.
Though holiday packages usually range above Dh3,000, late-comers can still book packages to some of the most in-demand destinations across Caucasian and East European countries, including Albania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Maldives. A number of travel agencies are offering affordable outbound packages that cater to travellers who don't find flying in budget carriers and staying at non-luxury but decent hotels.
From April 21 to 24, a holiday package to Albania starts at Dh1,499, covering a direct flight from Abu Dhabi, hotel stay in Tirana, return hotel transfer, and Schengen standard travel insurance and much more.
Similarly, Georgia and Azerbaijan packages, offered by Holiday Factory, start at Dh1,999 for trips between April 19 and 24. Packages to Armenia and the ever-popular Maldives go as low as Dh2,399 and Dh2,999, respectively.
Avinash Adnani, managing director of Pluto Travels, said packages to destinations such as Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are still available in the range of Dh3,000 for three-to-four-night stays, catering to slightly high-end customers.
“People who will book late on Thursday after the moon-sighting will have to pay 15-20 per cent extra,” said Adnani.
Atish Thapa, head of business and marketing at Cleartrip, said that during the Covid-19 period, people were hesitant to travel but, this time, there has been a pickup happening since January.
“Generally, things slow down a week before Eid because people who wanted to travel have already decided and made bookings, but right now, we are seeing the same booking pattern that we have seen last week,” he said.
Among the European countries, Thapa said, the UK is the most popular destination for a short travel period of a week or less than a week.
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