A significant change is being seen in the demand for travel in the British tourism market and a drop in bookings, as the US-Israeli war against Iran continues for a second week, with travel agencies and tour operators in the United Kingdom recording a drop in interest in travel to the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, with Turkey and Cyprus being affected. Meanwhile, Egypt and long-distance travel are on the rise.
“As much as we want to reassure customers that Cyprus and Turkey are perfectly safe for travel, we’re finding that customers are less interested in these destinations,” said Katelyn Cook, social media manager at Seaside Travel.
On the same wavelength, Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, managing director of Hays Travel, said that cancellations and changes have increased for Cyprus and Turkey, while demand for Easter holidays is showing signs of decline, compared to the period before February 28th – the first day of the US attacks on Iran.
“There has been a notable change in customer behavior, with travelers increasingly choosing Mediterranean and UK holidays,” he said, citing Italy, Malta, and Croatia as popular destinations for new bookings and cruises as a notable choice.
Premier Travel also reported a similar shift in demand towards the western Mediterranean and alternative, distant destinations.
“We are observing and will continue to observe [as long as the war lasts] fewer bookings for destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf, with more travelers choosing the Western Mediterranean, other European destinations, or distant destinations that can be reached without passing through the Middle East,” said the company’s CEO, Paul Waters.
He warned that while people still want to travel, uncertainty is causing some to postpone their decisions, which could lead to more bookings even later than what is currently being seen, while some may not travel at all.
Advantage Travel Partnership reported a slight slowdown in bookings among members, particularly for Cyprus, Egypt, and Turkey, but noted that Easter bookings have increased by 13% year-over-year.
“Destinations such as mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, France, and Italy remain popular, with cruises continuing to show double-digit growth,” said John Sullivan, the consortium’s commercial director.
Strong demand for distant destinations
Demand for long-distance travel is particularly high, with British travel agents reporting that the Caribbean, South America, and Africa are popular long-distance destinations.
According to Kuoni, those who want to travel immediately are choosing the Caribbean, Mauritius, and Africa, as well as popular European destinations such as Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
Sunvil also reported a notable increase in interest in South America and the Caribbean, with managing director Chris Wright stating that demand for these destinations is on the rise, in contrast to Cyprus, where a decline is observed.
“Initially, this was due to the fact that customers wanted to reschedule their upcoming trips that passed through the Middle East, but it evolved into a broader shift,” he said, adding that with the shift in demand, an upward pressure on airfare prices was also observed.
On its side, Cyplon Holidays has recorded new sales for Cyprus and “sees” a relative “stabilization” with small changes in travel. According to her managing director, Harry Hadjipapas, some customers who had booked for the affected destinations chose safer destinations for Easter.
“The problem we face from an accounting perspective is the re-routing of bookings for travel to more distant areas, such as the Maldives, via the Gulf with Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways,” he added.
Egypt in the spotlight
There is a significant increase in interest from British travelers in Egypt, with Red Sea Holidays’ executive director, Peter Kearns, noting that there is an increase in bookings from customers who were initially going to travel to Dubai and chose to change their destination to Egypt as an alternative, safe place.
According to him, the initial reaction of customers and travel agents when the war broke out was, naturally, concern. However, once the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) assured that travel is safe and given the distance from Iran (over 2000 kilometers), customers choose to travel to the country.
The director of Discover Egypt, which also specializes in travel to Egypt, Philip Breckner, made a similar statement, saying that most people realize that Egypt is functioning normally and is far from the area of hostilities.
“We receive some calls from agents asking if everything is okay in Egypt, and we give them the relevant assurances. The FCDO’s advice for tourist areas in Egypt hasn’t changed for many months, he said.
The director of Discover Egypt, which also specializes in travel to Egypt, Philip Breckner, made a similar statement, saying that most people realize that Egypt is functioning normally and is far from the area of hostilities.
“We receive some calls from agents asking if everything is okay in Egypt, and we give them the relevant assurances. The FCDO’s advice for tourist areas in Egypt hasn’t changed for many months, he said.
