Overview
- Tour operators have canceled package holidays to Gulf states under official warnings, with Dubai off schedules and customers offered rebooking or refunds.
- Bookings have swung from the eastern to the western Mediterranean, lifting Spain, the Canary Islands and Portugal while Egypt, Turkey and parts of Cyprus lose ground.
- Travelers are booking later and choosing flexible “Flex” options, and experts urge package trips because war risks are often excluded from standard cancellation insurance.
- Longer detours and high fuel costs are pushing prices up, with reporters noting Asia fares jumped sharply within days as many routes avoid Middle East airspace.
- Industry figures cited by Handelsblatt show travel‑agency sales down 11.6% year over year, and companies warn of tighter capacity and higher prices where demand concentrates.