Malaysia, Egypt, Turkey, UK and Germany among most popular destinations
SNTTA, one of the top five travel companies in the UAE, has reported a 15 per cent increase in bookings for air tickets and holiday packages, at the start of the summer season from the first week of May.
The most popular holiday destinations this summer are Malaysia, Egypt, Turkey, UK and Germany, according to SNTTA, UAE’s first ISO 9001 certified travel company, which is also a General Sales Agent for several leading international airlines.
Zafar Imam, Managing Director of SNTTA Travel, UAE, said: “Current trends show a healthy 15 per cent increase in bookings for air tickets and holiday packages, compared to the corresponding period last year. This, we believe, is a reflection of an upswing in outbound travel, which is the result of increased consumer confidence this season.”
The rebound in travel sales coincides with the launch of the 8th edition of SNTTA’s “Fly Free Anywhere” summer campaign that gives every retail customers the opportunity to win back their entire ticket amount on a daily basis.
“All-round interest in outbound travel this summer appears to be quite high, as witnessed in our travel offices,” said Merwyn Patrao, General Manager, SNTTA Travel for Sharjah and Northern Emirates. “Our summer campaign has given a further boost to the sales and we expect to finish the season on a more robust note.”
“We see a new trend in which expatriate families are combining their annual holidays to their home countries with short-duration holiday packages to other destinations. Bookings from Emirati families are also on the rise and most of them are travelling earlier than usual in order to return to the UAE before Ramadan, which begins in mid-August,” added Sai Rattan, General Manager, SNTTA Travel, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The “Fly Free Anywhere” summer campaign, which is conducted in all SNTTA Sharjah outlets, gives one retail customer every day the opportunity to win back the full air ticket amount, over a 90-day period, from May 1 to July 29, 2010. Draws are held weekly under the supervision of the Sharjah Economic Department.
“The sales trend indicates that the travel industry, which has had some reverses over the past year, is now firmly back on track. SNTTA is going ahead with its expansion plans that will see our network grow from current 18 to 25 outlets by the end of 2011,” said Zafar Imam.
SNTTA, which is a member of the UAE-based Liberty Investment Co. (Liberty Group), is a leader in travel management services, which include business travel, leisure travel, holiday packages, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises, pilgrimage packages, etc. It is the GSA (general sales agent) in Sharjah for leading airlines, such as Emirates, Iraqi Airways, Kuwait Airways, Pakistan International, Royal Jordanian, Shaheen Air, Sri Lankan and Sudan Airways, and franchise partner for American Express Travel Services. SNTTA is also the GSA for Singapore Airlines in Sharjah and Northern Emirates, and GSA for Indian Railways in the UAE.
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