Moscow and London have emerged as the most popular European tourist destinations for UAE residents during the ongoing festive season.

Residents in the country have been enjoying long weekends in December, starting with the UAE National Day earlier this month. Some residents are also merging the New Year holiday with the weekend to enjoy a short vacation at the end of this month.

Strong airline connectivity from the UAE to Europe, as well as easy processing of visas have made European destinations the top choice for UAE’s globe trotters despite airfares peaking during this festive season.

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According to data released by online travel marketplace Wego, Moscow topped the list of searches from UAE among the European destinations during the festive season as the city is best enjoyed in its festivals and brightly decorated streets.

Many popular events such as Journey to Christmas, which includes shows, concerts, and fun workshops, are held at different points of the city. Many Christmas markets also pop up in the Red Square for tourists to buy gifts and souvenirs.

London is a perennial favourite of UAE residents, showing up annually on the list of most-searched year-end destinations from the Emirates. Christmas in London means a lot of things, including Christmas markets, ice skating, theatre shows, and musical concerts.

Recently, dnata Travel listed Thailand, the Maldives, the UK, Sri Lanka and Turkey as top destinations during the long UAE National Day weekend.

According to Wego, Baku – ranked third – woos UAE visitors with a variety of stalls, providing books, craftworks, delectable foods, fireworks displays, and live music at restaurants and hotels hosting special gala dinners.

Waheed Abbas

Waheed Abbas is Assistant Editor, covering real estate, aviation and other business stories that directly affect the lives of UAE consumers. He frequently reports human interest stories, too.