Bookings from Saudi Arabia for travel between September 22 and 25, ahead of Saudi National Day on September 22 soared by 141% in August compared to the previous month, according to Skyscanner, a leading travel marketplace.

In the last week alone, week commencing 5 September, bookings for the Saudi National Day holiday period increased by 40%, revealing the appetite for those last-minute and spontaneous breaks.

Top trending destinations ahead of Saudi National Day:

Top trending redirect (booking) country destinations for Saudi travellers for Saudi National Day:
1.    Türkiye
2.    Egypt
3.    India
4.    UAE
5.    Thailand

Top trending redirect (booking) city destinations for Saudi travellers for Saudi National Day:
1.    Istanbul
2.    Cairo
3.    Bangkok
4.    Dubai
5.    London

Top emerging destinations for Saudi travellers in 2022:
1.    Thailand + 209%
2.    Albania + 125%
3.    Portugal +57%
4.    Austria +60%
5.    Maldives +30%

Skyscanner’s Travel Expert, Ayoub El Mamoun, said: “As the Saudi National Day holiday approaches, it’s clear that travellers are keen to make the most of their annual leave with a long weekend break away.  In fact, we’ve seen bookings increase for the Saudi National Day holiday period by 141% in August with destinations including Istanbul, Cairo and Bangkok the most popular for Saudi travellers.

“For travellers looking to book a last-minute break away, a Skyscanner ‘Everywhere’ search is one of the easiest ways to get inspired to book a spontaneous break away.  Ordered by price, a search to ‘Everywhere’ gives travellers the very cheapest way to get away this autumn and beyond, enabling easy exploration of all the options available across hundreds of destinations.  If you know your preferred destination, but are flexible on dates, use Skyscanner’s ‘whole month’ tool to see the best value deals at a glance and pick the right deal for you.”

Top tips to find the best travel deals for Saudi National Day and beyond according to Ayoub El Mamoun, Skyscanner’s Travel Expert:  

Mix and match to make big savings: “Mix and matching the airlines you choose to fly with can seriously cut costs. Fares don’t have to be booked as returns, look at flying out with one airline and back with another or out of one airport and back into another.” 
 
Flex those dates: “Searching by multiple dates and airports will give you the best chance of a bargain. Flight prices are all based on supply and demand. Because some dates are more popular than others, prices will vary. The ‘whole month’ search tool allows you to see cheap flights at a glance and pick the right deal for you. Consider travelling a day before or a day after your original departure dates, flying on less popular days of the week is always cheaper.” 
 
Wanderlust calling: “If you don’t have a fixed destination in mind, you can search ‘Everywhere’ on Skyscanner - it’s a great way to see what’s available, ordered by price, and can inspire you to go somewhere you’ve never been before. 

Live deals (22-25 September) using Skyscanner ‘Everywhere’ search:*****
UAE from SR827 ($220)
Egypt from SR881
Jordan from SR887
Türkiye from SR1,282
Bahrain from SR1,413
Switzerland from SR1,818 – TradeArabia News Service