Many travel agencies in Doha posted a “significant drop” in the number of reservations and bookings early this year compared with the same period in 2015.
Speaking to Gulf Times, a manager of one of the leading travel agencies in Qatar said they recorded a 40% decrease, especially for Qataris who usually travel to Europe.
“There were some reservations for Paris and other European trips in January but the number was not as big as in the previous year,” he noted.
According to the manager, the oil price slowdown may have prompted people to stay in the country to save money and then travel later during the summer.
He downplayed claims that terrorist threats would prevent many travellers from Qatar to regularly visit tourist destinations they love to see such as Turkey, the UK and France, among others.
However, he pointed out that Qataris usually travel before and after Ramadan, which many travel agencies consider as peak seasons.
But for non-Qataris, the manager said their records show that the number of reservations and bookings remained the same last month.  These mainly cover expatriate workers from various countries who return home for their annual vacations and some who visit other destinations for leisure.
Another prominent travel agency in Doha also had the same observation saying that the number of reservations last month was not as good as last year with at least 30% to 35% decrease.
Asked about his forecast for this year, an officer-in-charge of the company expressed optimism that the demand for air travel from Qatar in the coming months will improve since airfares have become cheaper.
Besides affordable packages, he said many countries in different regions now have a variety of offerings that suit tourists’ preference, particularly for Muslims who usually look for Halal foods.
Some countries in South East Asia such as Malaysia and Thailand have been attracting many Qataris and other GCC citizens due to the availability of Halal foods in many restaurants.
In Europe, the official said countries such as the UK attract many visitors not only due to tourist destinations in cities and countryside but also because of its prestigious educational institutions.
“With increasing number of direct flights from Doha to various cities in the UK, Europe and other parts of the globe, I believe that more people will be enticed to travel, to study and do business there,” he added.
According to the International Air Transport Association, Middle East (ME) carriers had the strongest annual traffic growth at 10.5%.
As a result, the share of international traffic carried by ME airlines reached 14.2%, surpassing their North American counterparts (13.4%).
Capacity growth of 13.2% exceeded the demand gains, pushing down load factor 1.7 percentage points to 76.4%.
A number of travel agencies claimed that the oil price slowdown has “only slightly affected their sales and the situation remained manageable”.

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