East coast hotels and water sports firms welcome Eid bonanza
FUJAIRAH // East coast hotels are close to maximum capacity in a boost to tourism this week as residents and tourists enjoy a break over the Eid holiday. Thousands f locked to spend time on a beach or diving against the backdrop of Al Hajar Mountains.
Patrick Antaki, general manag- er of Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, said the complex was near full capacity.
“The Eid holidays have historically been a busy period for us and the east coast resorts as well. This year it falls on a long weekend, along with the school summer break,” he said.
“Most of our bookings are online and we have several guests who come and stay with us year after year.
“The majority of the guests are from the UAE, with a fair share from GCC states and international markets such as Russia and Germany.”
Michela Colella, manager of Divers Down, said her company handled three times the usual number of customers. “People are on holiday and want to try something new and thrilling on the east coast,” she said.
“The majority of requests were for ‘Discover Scuba Diving’, the first experience underwater for uncertified divers.
“We received lots of last-minute phone calls, which unfortunately was hard to accommodate without pre-booking.
“We expect to stay like this until tomorrow.”
But with a temperature reaching the mid-40s in recent days, many visitors had preferred to stay away from the heat and not take part in water sports from 11am to 4pm.
“The hot weather has prevented many people from using the water sports facilities this year, compared to last year which was a bit cooler,” said Simon Tambling, manager of Al Boom Diving.
“One hundred per cent of our water sports activities were booked last year during Eid and it reached only 60 per cent this year due to the weather.
“But 178 experienced and firsttime divers used our diving services during the Eid break. People started to come on Friday and we have been quite busy since. “Most of the bookings were pre-arranged while the rest were walk-ins.”