By Andrew McQuarrie, Ella Sagar and Juliet Dennis
Intrepid Travel has revealed bookings to Egypt and Jordan have fallen steeply as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with the rest of the trade appearing to offer a mixed picture.
The Foreign Office updated its advice for both destinations recently to reflect developments in the conflict.
Egypt is generally considered by the Foreign Office as safe to visit, with some notable exceptions, but on September 29 the official advice was updated to reflect intensified fighting between Israel and Lebanon.
The advice for Jordan was updated on October 1 to include reference to airspace having been temporarily closed due to falling fragments and debris following the interception of ballistic missiles targeted at Israel.
Intrepid UK director Hazel McGuire said bookings to Egypt and Jordan were “significantly lower” compared with last year, adding: “Although cancellations have slowed since the beginning of the year, demand remains below typical levels.”
Trips continue to operate as scheduled to both destinations, however, with Intrepid emphasising the safety of customers remains “a top priority”.
Riviera Travel has cancelled one departure for its Jordan tour in October, with other departures for Jordan and Egypt scheduled to operate as normal.
A spokesperson added: “We’re monitoring the situation very closely and providing regular communication to our guests who are booked on these tours.”
Although G Adventures has not cancelled any tours in Jordan, Egypt or Turkey, it has noted a drop in demand.
Brian Young, managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: “While our booking numbers have decreased, our departures are running as scheduled. We are closely monitoring the situation, as the welfare of our travellers remains our top priority.”
Across the rest of the industry, the consensus appears to be that bookings to Egypt remain healthy but a small number of customers have sought reassurance about upcoming trips.
Tour operator Red Sea Holidays reported that a “handful” of agents had themselves been in touch.
“Once the geography of the area is explained, all appears to be fine,” said managing director Peter Kearns, adding: “All the main tourist resorts are safe.”
There had not been any noticeable impact on sales, he said, nor had there been any cancellations or amendments.
Kelly Cookes, chief commercial officer of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said a number of the partnership’s members had received contact from clients asking about the safety of particular areas.
Their concerns were thought to be driven by the Foreign Office’s updating of advice for Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in late September. Guidance for the latter two countries was also changed to reflect the conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
Cookes said: “It is clear that people still very much want to travel but are potentially looking to avoid the areas experiencing regional tensions currently.
“Our agent partners have also been receiving questions about the effect that limited airspace and new routes might have on their travel.”
She added that the partnership had not seen any impact on bookings.
Oasis Travel and Dawson & Sanderson are among the partnership’s members that have encountered customers looking for reassurance.
“We have had some clients asking if it is safe to travel, particularly to Egypt and Dubai,” said Oasis Travel managing director Sandra Corkin. “They are seeking reassurance regarding existing bookings.”
Judith Alderson, corporate and commercial director at Dawson & Sanderson, said bookings to Egypt and the UAE had “remained at expected levels”.
She added: “A small number of customers already booked to Sharm El-Sheikh have been seeking reassurance. However, so far we have not had any cancellations or changes of destination for existing bookings.”
Kearns said he travelled to Sharm El-Sheikh last week with two colleagues on a full Tui flight from Gatwick and found the resorts were all “really busy”.
“Customers all feel safe and are having a great time on holiday not worrying about the news,” he added.
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “The conflicts that we are aware of in Ukraine and the Middle East are tragic but not in mainstream travel destinations, so have not really been a drag on demand overall.”
Yet he acknowledged there was a cost for the industry due to cruises having to be diverted from certain regions and no-fly zones being imposed.
Developments have also made it more difficult to predict the future, he said.
Not Just Travel non-executive director Derek Jones dismissed the impact of geopolitical uncertainty on bookings, saying: “We are not seeing any dampening of demand.”
But easyJet holidays chief executive Garry Wilson said conflicts such as those in the Middle East and Ukraine would undoubtedly affect consumer sentiment.
“They feed into the general economic forecasts and pessimism will be driven by what happens there. Of course it will have an impact,” he said during a panel at Abta’s The Travel Convention.
Emma Gibson, a personal travel expert at Kuoni Travel in Cardiff, told Travel Weekly the store had recently fielded questions about the operation of flights over the Middle East.
The Foreign Office’s updated advice for Egypt, Morocco and the UAE, issued on September 29, stated: “Ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could escalate quickly and pose risks for the wider region.”