Global travel marketplace Skyscanner reflects on a year of helping more travellers than ever explore the world and shares a wrap up of how UAE residents travelled in 2023.
Top destinations for UAE travellers in 2023
Manila claims its spot as the most popular destination in 2023. The Capital city of Philippines, Manila, offers a blend of rich history, cultural attractions, and modern amenities. From its historical landmarks like the walled city of Intramuros, to it delicious street food options and lively nightlife and shopping scenes, UAE travellers cherished exploring the vibrant city that never rests.
Cairo was the second most popular destination for UAE travellers this year. Renowned for the Giza Pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the Sphinx, the city seamlessly blends ancient wonders with a vibrant modern atmosphere.
Cheapest flights, hotels & car hire of 2023
This year, more and more UAE travellers opted for alternative, budget-friendly destinations that still deliver on culture and cuisine. According to Skyscanner’s data, the capital city of Turkey, Ankara, was one of the cheapest flight destinations with return flights costing just Dhs491 on average in 2023. Showcasing historical and cultural treasures with panoramic views of the city, Ankara is renowned for its bustling markets, scrumptious Turkish cuisine, and nightlife.
As revealed in the infographic, Skyscanner has also identified the cheapest destination to book per month for UAE travellers throughout 2023, as well as the cheapest three-star hotel stay and city to hire a car in 2023:
- After analysing prices across thousands of destinations globally, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India is revealed as the cheapest city for a three-star hotel stay, for those travelling from the UAE, costing approximately Dhs92.
- Bucharest comes out on top as the city with the cheapest car hire offering, with UAE travellers paying only Dhs69 per day on average. Bucharest is an excellent starting point to embark on a Romanian road trip, complete with medieval villages, ancient castles and the Carpathian Mountains.
Skyscanner’s trends expert, Ayoub El Mamoun shares, “Looking back on the year of travel shows how the UAE has embraced the freedoms of international travel despite the pinch on purse strings. We see how this traveller behaviour correlates with the emerging trends for 2024. Our latest Travel Trends 2024 report highlights how value will remain a key consideration, but not at the expense of cultural exploration, travellers are simply being savvier with how they travel.
“Next year will see UAE travellers planning trips to budget-friendly cities that offer delightful cuisines, landmark attractions and good weather, with Osaka, Japan coming out as the top trending destination for 2024. The new year will also see UAE travellers heading abroad to see their favourite artists play, with 38% of fans saying they would travel to short-haul destinations to hear their favourite tracks live, while 19% would commit to long-haul travel.”
How Skyscanner helped global travellers get away in 2023
Skyscanner has helped more than 100 million users every month from across the globe find their perfect flight, hotel stay and car rental in 2023 and have continued to innovate and evolve the site and app to make planning and booking their next trip as simple (and budget friendly) as possible.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
