Tourism on hold as Middle East war casts uncertainty

Cancelled flights, postponed trips and a great deal of uncertainty: the war in the Middle East is casting a long shadow over the tourism outlook for a region that has become a prized destination for travellers worldwide.

“My last group of tourists left three days ago, and all the other groups planned for March have been cancelled,” said Nazih Rawashdeh, a tour guide near Irbid, in northern Jordan.

“This is the start of the high season here. It’s catastrophic,” he told AFP.

“And yet there’s no problem in Jordan. It’s perfectly safe.”

“The priority is getting those already there back home,” said Alain Capestan, president of the French tour operator Comptoir des Voyages.

He said, however, that the war is also affecting customers who have travelled to other parts of the world, as the Gulf region is home to several major aviation hubs — Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

Like other companies, the German tour operators surveyed by AFP — Alltours, Dertour, Schauinsland-Reisen — announced they would cover the cost of extra nights for clients stranded in the Middle East. They also cancelled trips to the UAE and Oman until at least March 7.

The British travel industry association ABTA said agencies “would not be sending customers to the region for as long as the British Foreign Office advises against all non-essential travel”.