Tourism

Thai earthquake increases Omani Eid bookings to Dubai

April 2, 2025, 4:57 PM

Officials at Muscat Airport said they were stretched as passengers flew to Dubai during the last days of the holy fasting month

Thailand unsuitable for travel
Oman demand shifts to Dubai
Muscat airport stretched

The earthquake which has devastated parts of southeast Asia has forced many Eid holiday makers from Oman to divert from flying to Thailand and to choose Dubai instead as is a preferred destination.

Travel agents in Oman have seen a surge of bookings to Dubai with most of them leaving by air.

“In last year’s Eid Al Fittr holiday, we had only about 530 airline bookings, this time we sold over 2,200 tickets to Dubai. Normally, the biggest demand during Eid is Thailand but we have almost no passengers booking because of the earthquake,” Naifeen Al Bahrani, director of Muscat-based Jumaana Travels, told AGBI.

Oman announced the first of Eid on March 31 while for the rest of the GCC countries the first day of what is often a week-long holiday was March 30. The Eid’s first day is determined by the moon sighting.

Officials at Muscat Airport were stretched as passengers flew off to Dubai during the last days of the holy fasting month.

“All the flights to Dubai were full, Oman Air, Salam Air, Fly Dubai and Emirates had no empty seats throughout the day, evening and night in the last day of Ramadan. It is usually this hectic with flights to Bangkok and Phuket. We were really overwhelmed,” Khamis Al Hadhrami, Flight Coordinator at Muscat Airport, said.

It is not only the airport which was flooded with holiday makers scrambling for flights. The Oman-UAE border had long queues than usual as travellers made their way to Dubai.

“Cars started arriving at the border post from 5am on March 30, the last day of Ramadan. There is a long queue on the border today which is the first day of Eid. It has not happened before in any Eid holiday,” said Faisal Al Hakmi, an immigration officer at the Oman border post.

Eid travelers said Dubai was a “perfect destination” for them after plans to visit Thailand were spoiled by the natural disaster.

“I had to cancel our flight to Bangkok because of the earthquake. For me and my family, Dubai is a perfect replacement because of its vicinity from Oman and attractions,” Salim Said, a Muscat resident, said.

Oman has announced a long Eid holiday this year from March 28 to April 5.