With the advent of the festive season, especially Christmas and the New Year, cost of plane tickets is witnessing a huge increase ranging between 100 and 250 percent from their normal rates for some destinations such as Turkey, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, London and the Philippines, reports Al-Anba daily. In several press interviews, travel and tourism experts explained that the heavy demand for certain destinations coincides with the holidays of private foreign schools in Kuwait. It has opened the appetite of families to travel outside the country.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has appeared as a destination that attracted travelers with the availability of multiple activities suitable for different age groups. The increase in reservation prices is in line with the supply and demand processes that witness an increase at the current time of the year. The experts advised the necessity of early planning to identify the high travel season, as well as adopting flexible dates and times for travel and trip reservations, and taking advantage of promotional offers, with the need to constantly monitor prices.

Interview
In his interview, tourism expert Kamal Kabsha said ticket prices during Christmas holidays for some communities in Kuwait record high rates during the last ten days of this month. He explained that the destination of Manila in the Philippines recorded a 250 percent increase in two-way ticket prices that reached KD 675.

The value of tickets for those wishing to spend Christmas holidays in London increased by 100 percent, as price levels amounted to KD 300 and more for a two-way flight. The rise in the prices of tickets during the Christmas holidays to such levels is normal in light of the high demand for travel during that time.

It is a very natural economic determinant. Ticket prices to the Philippines return to their normal levels and decrease by about 72 percent to reach between KD 190 and KD 250 during the days that do not witness a high demand. The average cost of a two way trip to London during the same period is KD 150. There is an increasing demand during the current days for summer vacation reservations, especially by certain categories of residents whose arrangements start early.

At the same time, the cost of travel to Cairo is witnessing record figures for long holiday trips back and forth, as travel happens usually in June and return happens in September. The costs range from KD 170 on low-cost airlines to KD 232 on other airlines.

These are relatively high price levels, especially considering that it still is in the early reservations stage. Kabshah indicated that making reservations early is a correct choice by customers, but there may be hope for obtaining competitive prices for travel at those times by arranging with travel agents to seize any opportunity on additional flights that may be offered at lower prices.

Meanwhile, the General Manager of Bash Aviation Travel and Tourism Company Muhammad Al-Bashir revealed that there is currently a noticeable demand in Kuwait to travel to Syria, as the stability of the situation there has made some coastal areas attractive for quick holidays with round-trip tickets ranging between KD 135 and KD 190. He highlighted that Lebanon is one of the favorite destinations for quick holidays, indicating that the prices of a two-way trip to Lebanon during the New Year holidays reach the level of KD 150.

Al-Bashir revealed that there is a noticeable demand for trips, affirming at the same time that the market is witnessing a remarkable demand for Turkey and Azerbaijan too at the present time. Regarding reservations for the summer season, he explained that the cost of a two way flight to Cairo currently stands at the level of KD 217.

The flights of economical airlines have recently begun to emerge at a level of KD 170 per trip. It is expected that the prices of flights to Egypt will witness changes during the coming period with the launch of economic airlines and the announcement of their summer schedules. Al-Bashir stated that the cost of summer trips to London, specifically when travelling in June and returning in August, will range from KD 285 to KD 350 per ticket, adding that the cost of a trip during normal times ranges between KD 150 and KD 214.

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