Get, set, go ... to savour the holidays.

Byline: Peden Doma Bhutia

MUSCAT Eoe1/4" Would you like to amble around in a maze of alleys while marvelling at the brightly coloured houses in Beirut Or would you rather discover AthensEoe1/4ao Parthenon, DelphiEoe1/4aos Temple of Apollo or the ruins of the MinEaAan city of KnossEaAs in Crete

Ah, well! So many places to go to with so little time in hand. The jetsetters, this season, are surely spoilt for choice on how best to celebrate Eid break. And with airlines and travel agencies throwing in special airfares and holiday packages, the extended Eid holiday just got better!

Nigel Stoker, general manager of Oman Air Holidays, says, Eoe1/4EoThe Ramadan season has been encouraging for us. The call volume has tripled over the last three weeks. Compared to last year, the bookings for Ramadan have gone up by over 400 per cent. Some Eid packages, such as the ones for Cairo and Khasab, and to popular destinations like Salalah, Bangkok, the UK, Amman and Beirut, are almost sold out. Also, since the cost of the packages has declined from last year, people have been able to avail of similar packages for less money.Eoe1/4A[yen]

Mohammed Zulfiqar, manager (holidays) of KhimjiEoe1/4aos House of Travel, adds, Eoe1/4EoPeople are looking at spending anything from RO350-400 for this Eid break. On popular demand, we will soon be introducing a Beirut packageEoe1/4A[yen].

Looks like the austerity drive, courtesy recession, suffers a brake fail when it comes to holidaying!

Eoe1/4EoRecession or no recession, our holidayers donEoe1/4aot mind splurging a little to indulge themselves. For those who prefer to go slow, airlines and hotels are offering deals that bargain hunters wonEoe1/4aot be disappointed with. The only dampener, however, might be the swine flu.Eoe1/4A[yen]

Flu fear

Zulfiqar agrees that the swine flu fear has discouraged many people from holidaying abroad. Eoe1/4EoWe were expecting 200-250 bookings for the four Eid destinations of Greece, Turkey, Malaysia and Egypt, and we were able to achieve 70 per cent of it. Many people dropped out because of swine flu. However, some people are not opting for international destinations this season because Eid came earlier. Some have come back from a holiday in August itself.Eoe1/4A[yen]

The worldwide swine flu fear has clipped the wings

of airlines as well. Peter Schilter, country manager for Swiss and Lufthansa Airlines in

the Sultanate, says, Eoe1/4EoAlong with the meltdown, the flu was another contributor to travellersEoe1/4ao reluctance to go abroad. After the busy summer season, we saw a slowdown of passenger traffic during Ramadan. But now, we have some good loads over the Eid holidays. This weekend, we booked loads close to capacity. Many Omanis and expatriates used the Eid holidays and low fares for a trip to EuropeEoe1/4A[yen].

So, with the extended weekend coming in, itEoe1/4aos jet, set, go for people in Oman.

The mantra 

With competition brewing, airlines and travel agencies are making sure they are not left behind in their bid to woo holidayers. Competitive pricing, value-for-money packages or custom-made holidays Eoe1/4" you name it, they have it. As Zulfiqar, says, Eoe1/4EoFor Eid holidays, people look at packages that offer them value for money and thatEoe1/4aos what we, at KhimjiEoe1/4aos, have been concentrating on, without compromising on quality. Also, the packages we offer are flexible.Eoe1/4A[yen]

If value for money is KhimjiEoe1/4aos mantra to keep competition at bay, Oman Air counts on innovative marketing to accomplish their goal.

As Nigel says, Eoe1/4EoThrough innovative marketing (for instance our Fly/Cruise combination to Khasab, and our Fly/Drive to London), attractive pricing and quality service, we hope to win the confidence of our customers.Eoe1/4A[yen]

Peter, on the other hand, says competitive fares are what they are looking at to capture the market, Eoe1/4EoLufthansa is offering a very special RO79 fare to major cities in Europe. With fuel and taxes the total price comes to approximately RO169, depending on the destination. This is the most competitive fare we have had in a very long time.Eoe1/4A[yen]

Inside story

But if faraway destinations are not on your holiday radar, you always have the option of exploring places within Oman itself. So, if you think Greece or Turkey is too far off, what about escaping to the colder climes of Salalah or exploring the Al Hoota Caves

Olga Kubrak of Promo Oman, which specialises in tourism project management, says, Eoe1/4EoThis was the first time Al Hoota Cave was open throughout the Ramadan season, and although it has been quieter than usual, we did receive a lot of expatriates and visitors from the UAE. We have also created a special Ramadan package in order to attract visitors, inviting them to have Iftar at Al Hoota Cave, visit the cave after their Iftar, then travel on to Jabal Shams for an overnight stay with breakfast. This package received a great response from families looking to get away for the weekend and visitors from abroad. Al Hoota Cave is almost fully booked for the first two days of Eid.Eoe1/4A[yen]

Response

The response for Oman AirEoe1/4aos Eid packages of two nights in Salalah at the Haffa House Hotel or at the Crowne Plaza or Hilton with free dinner, which includes return flights on Oman Air, return transfers and full buffet breakfast, have been encouraging, informs Nigel.

Zulfiqar adds, that while domestic destinations are crowd-pullers, when it comes to shelling out RO175-200 for places within the country, people tend to feel the pinch more. Eoe1/4EoEverybody today wants good deals at attractive prices. So people tend to think that instead of paying so much for a holiday within Oman, theyEoe1/4aod rather pay RO100 more and go abroad. Also since most people here are mobile, they can travel to places within the country on their own.Eoe1/4A[yen]

So, if you havenEoe1/4aot yet been bitten by the travel bug, nowEoe1/4aos the time to pack that bag and get going!

Muscat Press and Publishing House SAOC 2009

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