KUWAIT: A number of travel agency representatives said they expect this year's summer travel season to be much better than the two previous years. Speaking to Kuwait Times , the agents said that the turnout so far indicates that the country's travel industry is registering an upward trend. The summer season is the time of the year when Kuwaiti airports are the most crowded. Press reports from the UK's National Weather Service (Met office), indicate that the year 2010 could be the hottest year in 130 years.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electricity and Water is expected to start implementing 'programmed electricity blackouts' this summer to reduce the pressure on the country's electric grid. As temperatures in the hot season often reach 50 degrees Celsius, summer travel is a little bit more than a luxury.

Last year's travel season was relatively slow, mainly because of the financial crisis and the swine flu panic," said Wafaa El-Boudery, a branch manager with the Musaad El-Saleh travel company. At the same time, El-Boudery noted that online booking has negatively affected the business of travel agencies. "You go to the system and find that all the seats are taken and prices are up, but the number of clients does not match all those bookings," she said.

The travel agent pointed out that destinations in the far east are Kuwaiti tourists' first choice. "Even Thailand, which is one of the most popular destinations for the summer time in Kuwait, is not off the list. Even though the country is politically unstable, people are used to going to Thailand. They are waiting to see what will happen and they haven't canceled their reservations yet," El-Boudery said.

Sami Malik, a manager with the Al-Waseet Travel Services company agreed. "The far east is generally the most favorable destination for Kuwaitis during summer time. That is because of the cheap flights, cheap tourism and also cheap shopping, compared to Europe of course," he said. Malik added that destinations in Eastern Europe, like Sofia and Kiev, are slowly gaining popularity.

Malik stressed that this year's travel season looks much better than the last two years. The agent deemphasized the impact of online booking on the travel industry. "There is only a small category of travelers who use internet to book their tickets," he said. "There are so many things that you cannot do online, like group bookings and searching for the best fares. That's why people have to go to travel agencies.

Wafaa El-Boudery, from the Musaad El-Saleh travel company, said that in the last few months, there has been a noticeable increase in business class booking. "It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to find seats in the business and first class sections compared to one or two years ago, either people are having more money or more business men are moving around in this region," she said. According to Euromonitor, a European business monitor, Kuwait's outgoing tourist expenditure came to $4,245 million last year. - Kuwait Times