MUSCAT, Aug 14 - The announcement of Eid holidays in the Sultanate has seen airfares jumping 70-100 per cent. “Airfares to and from most destinations preferred by Omanis as well as expats have nearly doubled,” said Aisha, a travel agent. “For example, a round-trip to a south Asian destination, which cost RO 160 last week, is about RO 270 to RO 300 now,” she said. Similarly, fares to other destinations too have skyrocketed after the holiday announcement. “The fares to a Caucasian country was quite good last week, but they have soared now. Now I’m rethinking my holiday plans,” said Sulaiman al Jardani, a real estate agent.
There has been a rush for bookings to both regional as well as European, Central European, far-eastern and Asian destinations. Singapore, Slovenia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka were the top destinations that both Omanis and expatriates were planning to fly. “Fare hike is a common phenomenon just before the holidays as airfares are purely based on demand,” said Rajan, the head of a travel agency.
KABEER YOUSUF
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