It’s been almost a year since the war between Israel and Hamas began, and the war continues to escalate.
To an outsider looking in, the entire region may appear to be in meltdown, in which case travel will be cancelled. In reality, tourism performance varies widely by region, with places like Dubai still doing well, while areas affected by war have fared much worse.
Here’s how the Middle East crisis has affected travel so far.
Israel
Only about 500,000 tourists visited Israel from January to June, compared to about 2 million at the same time last year. According to a report released in July by the Israel Hotel Association (IHA), about 10% of Israeli hotels are facing imminent bankruptcy due to sharp declines in occupancy rates.
Before the October 7 attacks, Israel had high hopes for its tourism sector. In 2022, the country had 2.7 million tourists who spent $4 billion. Israel was scheduled to experience record tourism growth in 2023.
egypt
The US State Department has issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Egypt, meaning travelers should reconsider traveling, citing the risk of terrorism. The highest level is 4, which means “no travel”.
However, the country’s tourism officials have previously noted that demand continues. “Egypt was in demand despite geopolitical issues. This meant not only that safety was important, but also that travel professionals and tourists were well educated about Egypt’s role in the current issues. “This shows that Egypt’s tourism sector is growing,” said Ghada Shalaby, Egypt’s deputy minister for tourism. Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai in May.
“The numbers speak for themselves because there is demand in Egypt, even in all destinations.”
Egypt attracted nearly 7.1 million tourists in the first half of 2024, the same level as in the same period in 2023.
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Issa, told Sky News Arabia in May that his ministry had adjusted its forecast to expect between 15.5 million and 16.5 million tourists, down from an original target of 18 million. This follows a record number of 14.9 million visitors in 2023.
Jordan
The Central Bank of Jordan reported that tourism receipts for the first half of 2024 will decline by 4.9% compared to the same period last year.
According to Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA), hotel occupancy rates in some parts of the country have remained at 3% since October last year. Generally, a hotel needs 50% occupancy to break even.
MoTA estimates that $287 million in potential tourism spending was lost between November and March 2023 compared to the previous year. Much of this loss is due to a lack of overseas spenders.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, tourism data is even more sparse. The number of tourist arrivals in Lebanon in the first four months of 2024 fell to 340,290, down from 398,186 in the same period in 2023, the Ministry of Tourism found.
dubai
Rapidly developing regional tensions have cast a shadow over one of Dubai’s biggest tourism conferences, the Future Hospitality Summit, this week. But the crisis was barely mentioned during the three-day trade fair, which was attended by 200 speakers. United Arab Emirates (UAE) Economy Minister Abdullah bin Tuk Al Marri said on stage that he was “not worried at all” about the nearby war.
“We have always faced challenges,” he said. “There will always be conflicts in the region, but the UAE leadership has this kind of openness. Safety and security is one of the most important things (in the UAE). I’m in the middle of it.”
“The UAE’s maximum safety protocols are something we are happy and proud of, and we are also seeing an increase in tourist numbers year on year.”
Emirates has canceled all flights to and from Iraq (Basra and Baghdad), Iran and Jordan on October 2nd and 3rd. Flights to Beirut will be suspended until October 8th. (See summary below).
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, the region’s other largest tourism market, visitor numbers remain strong despite the war.
Saudi Arabia welcomed 60 million domestic and international tourists in the first six months of this year.
Tourists during this period contributed $38.1 billion in spending in the first half of 2024.
Hotel group keeps properties open
The hotel is the next link in the chain to evaluate. Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin said at the Future Hospitality Summit that the group will not withdraw from any war-hit region.
He said: “We’ve been around for 50 years and every year there’s a tragedy somewhere (operated by Accor) – climate, war, whatever. I call it muddy water. There’s nothing we can do about it. The only thing we’ve ever done and will continue to do is never leave this country when something tragic happens or when war approaches. is.”
“There are so many people on the ground and we want to make sure they are safe, that they have access to hospitals, that their hotels are open. They need us the most in times of tragedy. Masu.”
Accor operates two hotels in Lebanon and four in Israel, and is accepting online reservations as of Wednesday, October 2nd.
Similarly, rival IHG continues to operate hotels in both Israel and Lebanon. IHG regional managing director Haitham Matar told Skift: “We are closely monitoring the development of the situation and hope that hostilities will end.” The safety and security of our guests and colleagues is our top priority and we have increased security measures in and around our hotels in Israel and Lebanon. All hotels remain open. ”
Hotel groups Hilton and Marriott did not respond to requests for comment.
Airline reaction
British Airways has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 7, saying: “Our team of experts continue to monitor our global operations and the regions in which we operate, as well as regulatory and government directives. “We are monitoring the situation,” he said. We would never fly a plane if it wasn’t safe. ”
Etihad Airways confirmed that it had canceled flights to Tel Aviv and temporarily suspended flights to Beirut, adding: “Due to the developing situation in the region, Etihad Airways will cancel flights to Tel Aviv on Wednesday 2 October. “It has been cancelled,” it said in a statement. It added: “Etihad Airways has canceled flights to and from Beirut until 8 October due to continued developments in the region.”
flydubai has announced that flights to Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan will resume from October 4th. “We are closely monitoring the situation and will revise our flight schedule if necessary.” flydubai operates within flight paths approved by regulatory authorities and the safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority. ”
Kuwait Airways announced that it has adjusted flight routes for some of its services, resulting in changes to destination times. “This is to ensure the safety of passengers by taking necessary safety measures,” the airline said.
Air Arabia announced that it has suspended flights to Beirut.
Emirates has canceled all flights to and from Iraq (Basra and Baghdad), Iran and Jordan on October 2nd and 3rd. Flights to Beirut will be suspended until October 8th. The airline stated: “Following the airspace closure last night (October 1), Emirates Airlines has had some flights canceled and others diverted. We are making every effort to minimize disruption to our customers while assisting people. Emirates advises customers departing from or arriving at Dubai International Airport to visit emirates.com for the latest information on their flights. We advise you to check your flight status.
Qatar has suspended flights to Iraq and Iran due to airspace closures. The airline stated: “For travel schedules, please check the status on qatarairways.com or call our contact center on +974 41445555. Passenger safety remains our top priority. Qatar Airways announces airspace closures from 1 October As a result of this, we have temporarily rerouted many of our flights and ask our customers to check the qatarairways.com website or call our contact center on +974 41445555 for short-term travel schedules. The safety of our passengers remains our top priority until all closed airspace is reopened.”
Lufthansa decided on October 2 to avoid the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Jordan. This means that flights to and from Amman (Jordan) and Erbil (Iraq) will be suspended until October 2nd. Affected passengers can rebook to a later travel date. It’s free or your ticket price will be refunded in full. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to our passengers. Apart from this short-term adjustment, flights will continue to avoid Israeli airspace until October 31st.
Lufthansa Group airlines have re-adjusted their flight schedules on October 1, taking into account the current situation in the Middle East.
Flights to Tel Aviv will be suspended until October 31, 2024. Flights to Beirut will be suspended until November 30, 2024. Flights to Tehran are canceled until October 14, 2024. Lufthansa has already decided to suspend flights to Tehran until October 31, 2024. For operational reasons, October 26th is also included.
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