Some UAE residents spend Dh45,000 on summer travel
From tropical getaways to long-awaited family reunions, UAE residents are digging deep into their pockets for their summer getaways.
According to a survey conducted by Toluna, a consumer insights provider, 24 per cent of the surveyed UAE residents are expected to spend Dh10,000 on their travels per person. Some residents are even spending three times as much for a two-week trip.
Dh30,000 solo trip
Maitha Alhammadi, a fifth-year medical student, went on a solo two-week trip to Germany for a medical training opportunity. She chose Germany for the good training programme and also a break from the UAE summer heat. In total, she spent around Dh30,000 in the two weeks she stayed in Hamburg, Germany.
The breakdown for the trip is as follows: Dh6,000 for the plane ticket; Dh10,000 for the hotel; approximately Dh3,000 for transport; Dh4,000 for daily meals (excluding grocery costs); and Dh7,000 for additional expenses, like shopping.
She had already visited Germany five years ago, and had a good idea of how much she will be spending on this trip. However, Maitha didn’t account for the rising costs, so her spending exceeded her initial budget.
“Comparing the currency, going to Turkey would be much cheaper than going to Europe since the euro is expensive. But tourist areas are anyway expensive,” she said.
Despite the pricey trip, Maitha said it “was worth it to improve my skills and to escape the hot weather, but nothing beats the UAE environment”, referring to the “kind” and “welcoming” nature of people in the Emirates.
‘Cheap’ country, costly trip
Salem Hassan has been meaning to travel to Brazil with his spouse and five-year-old child for years, but the pricey plane tickets put him off, especially during the summer months. After much thought, he decided to finally purchase three flight tickets from Dubai to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, costing him a whopping Dh30,000 for the entire family.
With apartment rental and daily costs, that totalled Dh43,000. “We still have a few days left so I am sure we will spend more on gifts, so the trip in total will cost us around Dh45,000,” said Salem.
He said that even though spending inside the country itself was “cheap” and affordable, the flight tickets took a toll on his wallet. “This is the most expensive trip I took in my whole life, with the reason being the tickets, even though the country is pretty cheap. The tourist activities that we did didn’t cost us that much,” Salem explained. He had set a budget, which he said was enough and his spending didn’t exceed it.
Salem added that even though he enjoyed the country because of its nature and the chance to see his family, he will most likely not come back again next summer “to save on flight tickets”.
In the survey conducted by Toluna, it said that Turkey was the most popular destinations this summer for sUAE traveller. Haleema Abdalla went with a group of four people to Turkey and spent between Dh5,000 to Dh6,000 per person, which includes ticket prices, activities, and everyday expenses.
She said that she felt prices have increased this year and that she noticed many products and services translated into Arabic, whereas it used to only be in Turkish. Haleema speculates it’s because “the Arabs have been reluctant to go to Turkey”.
According to figures by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, there has been a dip in Arab tourists visiting the Eurasian country, declining 20 to 40 per cent during the past two years. Still, Haleema said she liked this trip and hopes to repeat it again next year.
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Source: Khaleej Times
07th August 2025
