Holiday announcement triggers booking rush

The announcement of the National Day holidays on Sunday triggered a rush for travel bookings, both overseas and local.

For many, the Milad’u’Nabi holiday combined with the National Day holidays came as a blessing, according to the travel agents.

Salalah, as expected, was among the most sought-after local destinations. Georgia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Turkey, London, Yas Island, Dubai and Mauritius were in the ‘must-see’ list among foreign locations.

“It was a hectic Sunday as we were flooded with enquiries and bookings after the holiday announcement. Many passengers who had booked air seats but had not confirmed the dates, turned up and bought their tickets,” said Astrin D’Silva of Travel City and Travel Point Group.

“Travel agencies are always busy with last-minute buying, cancellation and reissue of tickets during festivals. Holiday seasons are hectic for us,” said the staff of another travel group.

“We have packages starting from RO 219, including air tickets and other services. We see more people visiting local attractions such as Salalah, Wadi Shah and the like,” she said.

Travel operators received a lot of enquiries from people at beginning of the month as they were anticipating holidays at the end of the month.

However, tickets had not been booked because the dates hadn’t been confirmed.