At the onset of the Eid Al-Adha holidays, travel agents are seeing UAE vacationers opting for short-haul destinations with many travellers heading to Turkey and Sri Lanka, a report said.

According to recent outbound holiday bookings, the top five destinations for UAE holidaymakers this Eid are Turkey, Italy, Georgia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.  Also popular this Eid are Greece, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, Gulf News reported.

Eid destinations have shifted this year from France, the UK, Greece and Maldives, which were popular last year. Moreover, travellers are opting for Short-haul destinations than long-haul destinations as Eid is a short holiday, travel agents noted.

Meanwhile, hoteliers in the UAE are expecting high levels of occupancy and revenues as a large number of tourists will be coming to the country from the GCC countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain

Tourists from India and the UK are also expected to be arriving in the country during the holiday period.

According to the report, tourists in the UAE spend around Dh4,000 ($1,088.8) during the holidays, while outbound travellers spend between Dh3,000 ($816.6) and Dh6,000 ($1,633).

Saudi Arabia is proving to be the biggest market for visitors to the UAE hotels, the report cited Rudi Jagersbacher, Hilton president for the Middle East and Africa region, who anticipated a continuation of growth from this market, in addition to expatriate residents across the region looking to use the Eid Al Adha break for a staycation.