HOLIDAYMAKERS in Scotland are turning to far-flung sunshine destinations as terror fears hits traditional resorts, according to an Emirates boss who added that it was a matter of "when not if" the airline would bring the A380 superjumbo to Glasgow.
Laurie Berryman, the airline's UK vice-president, said its bookings from Glasgow to Phuket in Thailand had increased more than any other destination in the past year while bookings to Auckland in New Zealand are up 30 per cent among Glasgow customers following the introduction of direct flights from its Dubai hub.
Bangkok, Sydney, Mauritius and Singapore were also among the most popular routes among Emirates passengers in Scotland.
Mr Berryman said: "We are getting a growth of people now who are being a bit more adventurous
"There's a sense that lots of Europe has been closed off and places like Sharm-el-Sheikh are a no-go.
"People who were having two weeks in Tenerife or Cyprus are going further afield to Dubai and Thailand."
It chimes with previous reports from tour operators that bookings for terror-hit countries such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt had plunged as holidaymakers favoured seemingly safer long-haul resorts.
Barrhead travel previously reported a 51 per cent year-on-year surge in demand for packages to Thailand, with Dubai and the USA up 20 and 24 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile, increased numbers flocking to Spain, Portugal, Malta and Italy have also pushed up prices, with the introduction of a tourist tax in the Balearics and a weakened Sterling-Euro exchange rate making many far-flung destinations better value for money for Brits.
Mr Berryman, who was in Glasgow today, said annual passenger numbers on its Dubai-Glasgow route - 410,000 last year - were now more than four times higher than when the airline began operating a single daily service from the city in 2004.
It now operates double daily and has long toyed with adding a third flight.
Mr Berryman said it was "more likely" that the airline would increase capacity by bringing the coveted A380 superjumbo instead, adding that its introduction at Glasgow Airport was a case of "when not if".
He said: "We're always looking for new opportunities. It's always a game-changer. Wherever it goes, it always drives traffic.
"Never say never. We are always talking to the airport, but with the A380 passenger load goes up so we would need to have the facilities in place to handle that."
In particular, he said the airport would need a new air-bridge compatible with the double-decker aircraft.
However, Mr Berryman said Emirates' executive lounge at Glasgow Airport, which opened in 2014, had been a "deal-breaker" in helping it to compete for premium business against rival Gulf carriers, Qatar and Etihad.
Qatar began flying from Edinburgh Airport in May 2015 followed by Etihad a month later, but neither have their own lounges for business and first-class passengers.
Mr Berryman said 76 per cent of business-class seats on the Glasgow-Dubai route were sold in the 2015/16 financial year and that demand had increased despite competition from Qatar and Etihad.
Questioned on Scottish Government plans to halve and eventually axe Air Passenger Duty (APD), Mr Berryman said policymakers "need to be careful that it isn't just moving traffic from one location to the next".
He added: "We would like to see it. It could stimulate some difference but it might be a false stimulation. It could just take passengers across the Border, rather than generating new passengers."
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