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Ramy Salama
Doha
it's holiday time for both Qataris and expatriates as the Eid Al-Fitr is just around the corner.
European countries such as the UK, Germany, France and Switzerland have emerged as the most popular destinations for Qatari travellers during this Eid, while expats are favouring nearer destinations like the UAE, Turkey and Thailand, local travel agents told Qatar Tribune.
Lourdes Dolor, Darwish Travel Company's Assistant Manager for Social Media and Online Marketing, said Qatari travellers prefer European destinations during Eid as they are acquainted with these places.
"The most popular Eid travel destinations for Qataris are the UK, Germany, France and Switzerland, in that order. Based on their experience, Qataris are very much comfortable and familiar with these places and just make the annual visits out of habit," she said, adding that Qataris like to visit these countries for shopping.
"These countries are used to hosting Muslim clients and the hotels there even offer huge connecting rooms to accommodate large Arab families. Besides shopping, there are also plenty of restaurants offering Halal food," she said, adding that expats prefer Middle Eastern or Asian locations.
"The destinations that are popular with our expat clients are the UAE, Thailand and Turkey. The reason is that getting a visa to these destinations is fairly easy compared to other countries. Also a big consideration is the short distance and travel times, which make the UAE a preferred destination, especially for the expats as they have a four-day break during the Eid," she said.
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