The Holiday Factory has launched a Summer 2011 brochure which features package deals to 23 destinations such as Thailand and Turkey. Prices have been The Holiday Factory has launched a Summer 2011 brochure which features package deals to 23 destinations such as Thailand and Turkey. Prices have been

Hakan Bakar, CEO of new budget package tour operator the Holiday Factory, explains how his cheap holiday deals are set to ‘revolutionise’ the travel industry in the GCC.

Taking a holiday out of the Gulf is a pricey business. Despite our perfect positioning just a few hours’ flight time from some of the most sought after destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Indian Ocean, there’s little option in the market when it comes to budget breaks.

The major holiday companies such as Emirates Holidays and Etihad Holidays cater almost exclusively to the top-end of the market, and it’s been estimated that holidaymakers in the Gulf pay up to 50% more for their trips abroad than travellers in Europe.

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Times are changing though, and opportunities for more budget options are finally entering the market. Last month, the Holiday Factory launched in Dubai claiming to be the “first real tour operator” selling cheap package holidays out of the GCC, with Hakan Bakar, CEO of the company boldly stating that he planned to “revolutionise” the region’s travel market.

Having worked in the travel industry since the age of 17, most recently as head of leading German operator Oeger Tours, which carried a million passengers annually before being taken over by Thomas Cook, Bakar knows a thing or two about the travel industry.

He is astonished at the lack of affordable travel options currently available to GCC holidaymakers.

“In the UAE there is no real package tour operator — the other tour operators are only targeting the luxury, higher income level of the market with tailor-made tours.

“What people don’t realise is that there’s a big mid-market here that also wants to travel. That is what’s missing here.”

Bakar says the plan is to offer up the kind of cheap package deals to holidaymakers in the GCC, that are enjoyed by almost 90% of holidaymakers in Europe.