High demand on travel despite rising ticket prices

High demand on travel despite rising ticket prices

By Majd Othman

KUWAIT: Despite the high prices of airline tickets, travelers are choosing to bear the soaring costs, especially after a long pause in travel and ending of restrictions in most countries due to the coronavirus pandemic. Demand for air tickets has exceeded expectations, CEO of Delta Airlines Ed Bastian said during an airline industry conference. He also said post-pandemic airfares have risen globally by around 30 percent.

Regarding the reasons for price hikes, Saeed Radwan, a ticketing and reservation officer at a travel agency, told Kuwait Times that “taxes imposed by airlines have increased by 15 percent due to high fuel prices, which automatically increased ticket prices”, pointing out the travel season usually witnesses price rises.

“Most travel agencies do not have any promotions for tourist destinations this year compared to last summer, which led to the price hikes,” Radwan added. He stressed that despite the high prices of tickets, demand for tourist destinations continues among Kuwaitis, especially to Europe and Turkey.

Ehab Hani, general manager of a travel agency, told Kuwait Times: “Ticket prices have risen by around 20 percent, which is much higher than last year due to the pandemic, which is unjustified, while taxes are continuously rising since the