Muscat – Sunil D’Souza, CEO of Travel Point, spoke exclusively to The Arabian Stories about the anticipated surge in demand for short and medium haul destinations and the usual price hikes during this peak season.

Indicating that it is common to have last minute frantic purchases, he explained that airfares and hotel room rates tend to get hiked whenever Eid holidays are announced. According to him, an increase of 5 to 28 percent is expected during this time.

Highlighting factors responsible for such price hikes, he pointed to the basic economic principle of supply and demand. “Demand outstripping supply, in other words, under capacity drives prices higher when demand is high,” he stated.

To avoid such a scenario, Sunil D’Souza advises budget-conscious travelers to book well in advance, ideally one or two months before the holidays, to secure better deals.

However, not all destinations carry a higher price tag owing to changing trends and preferences of travelers. While popular destinations have a higher percentage of hikes in airfares, as demand is high, other locations would have medium surge in rates, he explained.

Currently, short and medium haul destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, Kuala Lumpur and Sri Lanka are popular owing to the ease and convenience of travel. This trend reflects a growing preference among people for quick escapes during the Eid break; it also indicates the difficulty in planning trips to far off destinations owing to the last minute announcement of holidays.

Nevertheless, for travelers seeking easy, budget friendly options, Travel Point has special Eid holiday packages. The agency’s holiday specialists can be contacted on 98080754, 99243622, 90696448, or 92044517 for further details.