The length of the Eid holiday increases the frequency of reservations…and prices are 50% higher.

Travel agencies have confirmed that the length of the Eid al-Adha holiday for the current year has significantly increased the pace of reservations, over the past few days, on a large number of direct flights to the most popular Arab destinations, including: Cairo, Amman, Beirut, and Damascus, which has pushed airline ticket prices to high levels compared to early reservations and normal periods.

She explained that the increase in demand led to an increase in prices by rates ranging between 30 and 50%, with expectations of recording almost full occupancy rates on outbound flights in the first days of the holiday, as well as on return flights when it ends.

According to a survey conducted by “Emirates Today” on the websites of airlines and reservation agents, there are flights that have raised notifications stating that the basic seats are “completely sold out,” or that the flights have become “fully occupied,” which opens the way for travelers to book in higher price categories.

Arab destinations

Salah Mansour, CEO of STS in the Dubai Link Group, said: “The Eid Al Adha season annually witnesses the strongest periods of demand for travel from the UAE, especially to the most popular Arab destinations that residents of the country go to visit family and relatives.”

He added, “The long vacation during the current year has further enhanced demand, which has led to an acceleration in reservations and the early disappearance of low basic prices for many trips.”

He explained that “ticket prices to the most popular Arab destinations are higher by more than 50% on average,” pointing out that “destinations, such as Damascus, Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, usually record the highest levels of occupancy during this period.”

He pointed out that “travelers who were late in booking are currently facing much higher prices compared to those that were available weeks ago,” noting that the pace of reservations increased by a greater percentage with the announcement of the holiday in the past two days.

Mansour stated that a large number of flights will record almost full occupancy rates in the first days of the holiday, and the same applies to return flights at the end of the holiday, indicating that the prices of recent reservations will rise at higher rates as the holiday approaches.

Very strong request

For his part, the CEO of Sharif House Tourism and Travel Company, Sharif Al-Farm, said, “The demand for travel during Eid Al-Adha is very strong, especially to traditional Arab destinations that residents go to visit their families.”

He pointed out that the limited seats on direct flights, in addition to the high rates of early booking, contributed to pushing prices to high levels, explaining that many flights have become almost full, while basic economy classes are no longer available on a large number of flights.

He explained that flight ticket prices to these Arab destinations are higher by 50%, and this percentage increases to more than 60% to the capital, Damascus, pointing out that expectations indicate higher price increases throughout the next few days, with the holiday approaching due to the intensity of demand and recent reservations.

He stressed that these price levels reflect a clear increase compared to normal periods, driven by the high demand for travel, coinciding with the expected long holiday for Eid al-Adha, which gives a wide segment of customers the opportunity to travel for a period exceeding a full week.

Occupancy rates

In the same context, the General Manager of Belhasa Tourism Company, Narouz Sarkis, said, “The long duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday has directly contributed to the acceleration in the pace of reservations over the past days, especially to Arab destinations that are witnessing a high demand from residents of the UAE to visit family and relatives during the Eid.”

He added that vacation extending for more than a week gave a wide segment of travelers the opportunity to plan longer trips, which led to a clear increase in demand within a short period of time.

Sarkis explained that the current prices for airline tickets to the most popular Arab destinations are increasing by more than 30%, compared to the prices that were available when booking early for the same travel dates between May 23 and 30 of this month.

He pointed out that this increase mainly reflects supply and demand, stressing at the same time that the capacity levels for flights during this period remain limited, while demand has increased at a strong pace.

He added that this upward trend in prices is likely to continue in the coming days as recent bookings increase and the travel date approaches.

Sarkis expected that most flights to these destinations would record very high occupancy rates during the first days of the Eid holiday, noting that the same applies to return flights at the end of the holiday.

Airline ticket prices to 4 Arab destinations

A survey on the websites of airlines and booking agents for the prices of flights departing from the Emirates on May 23, 2026 and returning on May 30, 2026, showed a noticeable increase in the prices of travel tickets to a number of the most popular Arab destinations during the Eid al-Adha holiday, with prices starting from 3,400 dirhams and reaching 3,600 dirhams for a round-trip ticket in economy class.

The survey included four Arab destinations: Cairo, Amman, Beirut, and Damascus, where the data showed that the lowest prices available when the survey was prepared were about 3,600 dirhams to the Syrian capital, Damascus, 3,500 dirhams to the Jordanian capital, Amman, 3,400 dirhams to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and 3,400 dirhams to the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

The survey also observed a noticeable decline in the availability of seats within the basic price categories, as these prices disappeared from several flights, while notices appeared on some flights stating that the basic seats were “completely sold out,” or that the flights had become “fully occupied,” which opens the way for travelers to book in higher price categories that include additional benefits, such as baggage or flexibility to change times.

Airlines websites indicate that current prices are subject to change according to levels of demand and seat availability, but the general trend reflects the continued strong momentum for reservations during the second half of this May. Comparison tools for average booking sites also show price levels similar to those available on airline websites, with limited seats on some dates.

It is worth noting that the announced prices are subject to terms and conditions. They are initial prices and are subject to change for direct flights to major airports. They are also subject to availability levels, and gradually rise with increased demand and the high frequency of reservations.

Travel agencies:

• The most popular Arab destinations are witnessing price jumps.