Airfare to travel from India to the UAE is soaring as Expo 2020 Dubai officially opens today.
As per travel agents, one-way air ticket prices from the Southern part of India like Kozhikode and Kochi to the UAE have reached as high as Dh 2,000 (INR 40431).
Travellers from India are landing in UAE in large numbers to not only visit families and seek better job opportunities but also explore the Dubai Expo 2020. A huge chunk of the travellers is also quarantining on their way to Saudi Arabia, agents said.
There could also be other reasons behind the escalation of ticket prices for a one-way journey from Kozhikode and Kochi. With the passengers wishing to travel to KSA staying in the UAE for 14-15 days and experiencing tourism attractions, there’s a significant demand from the Saudi quarantine group as well.
Travel agents for online portals claimed that they are accepting applications on an average of 2,000 tourist visas every day.
According to Raheesh Babu, the group chief operating officer of Musafir.com, an online internet agency, the demand from Indian sectors is evenly spread. “There’s a high demand from Mumbai, Delhi and all the South Indian states. We are seeing a boost in charter operations to Ras Al Khaimah as well,” he was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times.
However, agents have also said the chunk of the Expo2020 travel demand will also shoot up after October 15. “The Expo rush from India will begin towards the end of October and the first week of November once the weather improves.”
Agents have already started selling Expo 2020 packages and anticipate that a majority of Indian passengers would come once the airfare stabilise or go down by mid-October.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, is also recording considerable demand for flights to the UAE.
The demand has increased since the issue of pre-travel RT-PCR rapid testing has been resolved at international airports in Bangladesh.
Demand and airfare prices from Dhaka are reportedly very high with an average price of Dh 2,000.
Travel agents said that one of the reasons is stranded expatriates looking to join their jobs back in the UAE.
