UAE travellers are booking summer 2026 getaways closer to departure, with nearly 70% of travel searches taking place within a month of travel, according to Dubai-based marketplace Wego.
Mamoun Hmidan, Chief Business Officer at Wego, said travellers are increasingly comparing destinations based on accessibility, value and available experiences.
The shift has resulted in a rise in interest in regional destinations with shorter flight times, including Georgia and Türkiye, which continue to rank amongst the top outbound destinations for GCC tourists according to the 2026 Connecting Travel Insight Report, alongside Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan reported the strongest growth, with searches up 78.4%, while also recording the highest share of last-minute bookings, with one in six trips confirmed within a week of departure.
Meanwhile, for Georgia and Türkiye, travellers planned trips nearly 25 days prior to departure, whereas only 8% to 10% of bookings were made within a one-week timeframe. The average airfare for all three destinations was approximately AED1,300 (US$350).
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Southeast Asia is also gaining momentum, with Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia emerging as top destinations. Interest in Thailand grew by 12.7% in July, compared to June last year, with average airfares from AED2,477 (US$675).
Searches for both Vietnam and Bali rose by an average of 24% year-on-year, with travellers confirming bookings between 27 and 28 days prior to travel. Flight prices for Vietnam started from AED1,806 (US$490) and AED3,009 (US$820) for Bali.
Hmidan added: “Flexibility has become an increasingly important part of the travel planning process. Destinations that offer a combination of convenience, diverse attractions, and competitive pricing continue to perform particularly well during the summer travel period.”
To cater to increased demand for travel, several regional carriers are introducing new seasonal flights, as well as increasing capacity on popular routes. UAE’s Etihad is operating services to Krakow in Poland, Palma de Mallorca in Spain and Zanzibar, while Saudi Arabia’s Flyadeal has introduced flights to Milan, Italy and Prague, Czech Republic for the first time.
For more information, visit wego.ae
