How has the Israel-Iran war affected sales in the UK?

The war, which began with Israel 's attack on Iran on June 13, continues with mutual airstrikes, and it is not yet clear to what extent the escalating tension will affect tourism reservations for the region. British tour operators and travel agencies say it is too early to say how the current situation will affect sales. With the UK Foreign Office updating travel warnings for many destinations, especially the Middle East and North Africa, there have been some flight cancellations and route changes.

Interest in Egypt and Cyprus continues

Peter Kearns , managing director of Red Sea Holidays , said the military tensions in the region and media reports had led to some advice from travel agents. However, he said there had been no drop in sales at the moment, noting that Egyptian resorts were further from Israel than Cyprus . “There have been a few calls from agents, most of them asking for guidance on how to respond to concerned customers. But there has been no impact on sales at the moment,” Kearns said.

Cyplon Holidays chief executive Harry Hajipapas similarly said that two new bookings to Egypt were received over the weekend immediately following the first attack, and that sales in Cyprus were also active. However, he warned that this could change if the crisis deepens. “If the conflict continues to escalate, anxiety increases and people start to reconsider their travel plans. The impact is limited at the moment, but that could change.”

Intrepid Travel: Travel continues but...

Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton said tours to destinations such as Jordan and Egypt were still open, but predicted bookings would fall if uncertainty in the region continued: “Unfortunately, if things don’t stabilise quickly, demand for these destinations will decline. People are not generally giving up on travel altogether; they are just moving to different regions.”

Holiday Best: Türkiye is still at the top

Nicky Bird , sales manager at Holiday Best , said there had been no major cancellations or drop in bookings at the moment, but had received some enquiries about flights and holidays to Cyprus. “Our best-selling destination for the summer is still Turkey , but we have been getting some enquiries from customers about whether travel will take place later in the year, particularly for Cyprus,” Bird said.

Caroline Thorne, head of travel at Co-op Travel East of England, said there had been some customer conversations about flight changes and cancellations, adding: “There is no serious concern or cancellation at the moment, but that could change in the coming weeks. We are particularly hearing about countries close to the region, such as the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Cyprus.” Thorne also reported that some customers were considering rescheduling their travel plans for Cyprus, where British military bases are based.

John Sullivan , commercial director at Advantage Travel Partnership , said Turkey was the fifth best-selling short-haul destination last week. However, he stressed that it was not possible to draw a clear picture at the moment, saying: “It is too early to assess the impact of the conflict on tourism.”