KUWAIT: It is expected that 275,000 people will leave the country to spend the Eid Al-Adha holidays abroad, according to statistics by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation regarding flights between Aug 8 and Aug 17. As for expenditure, reading numbers in the balance of payments issued by Central Bank of Kuwait showed that travel spending was not affected by the financial situation both public and private that dominated after 2014, when oil prices dropped, and those numbers remained high although no quality increases on salaries occurred for many years. The daily average spending in general on travel is more than $36 million and includes all tourism facets, entertainment, shopping and other expenses by Kuwaitis abroad, bearing in mind the figures also include university and treatment expenses. Studies by the World Tourism Organization show Kuwaitis spend 11 percent of their income on tourism and travel and are in first place among other Gulf nationals. - Al-Qabas

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