Dubai is experiencing up to 100% occupancy across hotels along with a surge in short term rentals prior to an extended Eid break, reported Khaleej Times earlier this week.

The upcoming Eid break is causing prices to soar for visitors looking to take advantage of packages offered by hotels as well as ‘staycation’ deals for Dubai residents.

“We’ve seen a significant increase in bookings especially from the UAE & KSA markets,” Bassem Saudy, Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing of The Banyan Tree Dubai, was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times.

“We have an Eid Staycation offer, featuring a 20 per cent discount on the best available room rate, daily breakfast, and 20 per cent off on both dining and spa experiences, which many guests are taking advantage of,” he added.

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Ramsey Saarany, General Manager Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort, echoed the sentiment.

“Once the public holiday was officially announced, we observed a surge in bookings for earlier dates. As a result, occupancy rates are exceptionally high, with the majority of days expected to reach full capacity,” he noted.

Mouna Kessous, Cluster Marketing Manager at Al Seef Heritage Hotel Dubai, Curio Collection by Hilton, also noted reported occupancy rates over well above 90%.

“We have observed an increase in demand for Eid, primarily from GCC countries, Turkey, and various parts of Europe.”

Some resorts also noted an uptick in bookings for larger rooms and villas with pool and beach access for bigger groups and families.

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The impending Eid break is set to be the longest public holiday of the year for UAE residents, causing airfares to also soar by nearly 400 per cent to some destinations, Khaleej Times noted in a separate report.

Popular destinations this year include Baku, Tbilisi and Armenia.

Short term rentals as well as car rental companies are also experiencing a marked increase in demand.

Downtown, Dubai Marina and JBR have emerged as the most coveted locations for short-term rentals in Dubai with some going as high as Dhs10,000 a night, according to the report.

2023 was also noted as an exceptional year for tourism for Dubai as it received a record-breaking 17 million international tourists, according to the emirate’s Department of Economy and Tourism.

Last year, Dubai Mall also witnessed a record 105 million visitors, making it the “most visited place on earth”, according to a statement by the Dubai government’s media office back then.