Tour ops talk Middle East tourism in the wake of renewed conflict
Tour operators selling the Middle East are keeping their fingers crossed that the latest flareup of violence between the U.S.and Iran won’t lead to a major resumption of fighting between the two nations, something that would amount to yet another setback in a growing list of setbacks to Middle Eastern tourism.
The two countries were trading attacks Thursday, ending weeks of mostly quiet after the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February. It wasn’t immediately clear how intense the fighting was. The two sides announced a ceasefire in April, which was followed by a period of largely prolonged calm.
Sally Mikhail of GMTours said interest in the region was rebounding following the ceasefire.
“Overall, once the ceasefire (was implemented), GMTours has been seeing improvements in bookings,” she said. “The potential formalization of an Iran ceasefire would trigger a significant reversal in Middle East inbound arrivals.”
Beneficial developments cited by Mikhail would include carriers having to stop taking long, expensive detours over Africa or Central Asia, with Middle Eastern airports frequently having come under attack since the conflict began.
The fighting has also led to aviation fuel surcharges that passengers ultimately end up paying for.
“The UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia were experiencing historic booking momentum before the conflict escalated,” Mikhail reported. “A ceasefire allows tourists who shifted their summer itineraries to other destinations for now but since the ceasefire, we’re seeing good movement toward fall as travellers are anxious to visit this area.
“Neighbouring bucket-list destinations, such as Egypt – buoyed by attractions like the Grand Egyptian Museum – and Jordan after ceasefire saw positive booking trends toward fall and winter.
“True tourism recovery inside Iran will lag significantly behind the rest of the region. Even with a ceasefire holding, strict government travel advisories remain active, keeping consumer confidence to travel.
GMTours will likely maintain highly flexible cancellation policies to assure anxious travelers that they can rebook safely with flexibility.
Renata Snidr of NARAT is also hoping that there won’t be any resumption of full-sale fighting, saying weeks of relative quiet have been serving the travel industry well.
But even if the two sides don’t return to full-blown war there won’t be any influx of tourists to the Middle East, she warns.
“The US-Iran Peace Agreement promises an attractive turning-point for current Middle East tourism,” she said. “However, its benefits will unlikely be transferred immediately into the travel marketplace. We are expecting travel consumers to remain weary of travel to the region for the near-term. NARAT will continue to assess the ground situation before resuming its suspended tours of the region, maintaining its ‘peace of mind’ cancellation policies.
“The enacted Agreement noticeably excludes ratification by Lebanon and Israel which may continue on with the conflict. The Agreement is a temporary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and not a permanent resolution with no restriction on proxies. The Agreement is nonetheless a step in the right direction reinforcing long-term consumer travel purchase sentiment. NARAT will be opening additional inventory on existing tours departing beyond 2027, in anticipation of an increase in demand. “
Bronwyn Hodge, VP, Africa & Middle East at Goway, said the Iran conflict immediately threw a wrench into the works of regional tourism.
“Our Middle East program was experiencing strong momentum heading into 2026, with growing demand particularly for Dubai and Egypt,” she said. “The onset of the Iran conflict created immediate disruption — flight cancellations, operational challenges and increased client uncertainty — which resulted, at the time, in trip cancellation or postponement.
Goway expects if the two sides manage to avoid a return to full conflict Goway expects “confidence in the region to rebuild, with recovery unfolding steadily rather than an immediate rebound. While some uncertainty remains, we are cautiously optimistic. Historically, the Middle East has proven highly resilient. We are already beginning to see early signs of recovery, with travel restrictions changing, flights resuming and networks rebuilding. If stability continues, we expect bookings to return – potentially quite strongly- given the underlying demand for the region’s unique mix of culture, history, and luxury experiences.”
