Trade predicts long-haul revival after FCDO advice change for Gulf

The travel trade is predicting a bounce‑back in long-haul summer sales as consumer confidence returns following the relaxation in Foreign Office travel advice to the Gulf.

 

The FCDO dropped advice against all-but-essential travel to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, on June 18 after a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran.

 

Travel agents and tour operators welcomed the news, which they said would boost consumer confidence, particularly to transit via the UAE to long-haul destinations.

 

More:FCDO relaxes guidance for travel to Gulf region

 

Blue Bay Travel chief executive Alistair Rowland said: “Going forward, we won’t have to cancel hundreds of bookings every month.”

 

He predicted a rise in bookings to the Indian Ocean this summer thanks to “good capacity and value”, noting: “You might even find you can go to the Maldives cheaper than Greece.”

 

But he stressed the update had yet to translate into a booking spike for the operator, blaming news of “political shenanigans” for “almost drowning out” media coverage of the advice change.

 

Others reported an immediate surge in long‑haul sales via the UAE.

 

“We saw bookings bounce back straight away, with particularly strong interest in destinations such as the Maldives,” said Kuoni managing director Mark Duguid.

 

Tracy Clenshaw, head of commercial at Fred Olsen Travel, said Asia had returned to the group’s top-three trading destinations for the first time in several weeks.

 

Gary King, head of trade sales at Wendy Wu Tours, said: “The combination of the Middle East peace agreement and the lifting of FCDO advice for the UAE has provided an extra layer of reassurance, particularly for those considering long-haul holidays to Asia and beyond.”

 

Specialist Holidays Group chief executive Andy Freeth said the lifting of advice was the news the industry had been waiting for, hailing it as “a vital and welcome step back towards normality”.

 

Premier Holidays head of trade sales Dom Carrick said: “We expect this to act as a strong catalyst for demand as we move into peak booking periods.”

 

Inspire Europe chief executive Lisa Henning welcomed the change but made a plea for more clarity from the FCDO on travel advice in future.

 

She said: “Our honest view is the uncertainty lasted longer than it needed to, and the messaging around transiting through the region was never clear enough for travellers. This created a level of anxiety that, in hindsight, may not have been necessary. Going forward, clearer and more consistent communication for consumers from the FCDO would make a real difference.”

 

The trade predicted the recovery would take longer for bookings to Middle East destinations, with some agents and clients still cautious about selling the region.

 

Protected Trust Services managing director Emma Collis said: “Customers are still cautious. Members have seen some new UAE enquiries, but not a mass influx for UAE, Middle East or long-haul bookings.”

 

John Sullivan, commercial director at Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “Bookings are now starting to come in for later this year and early 2027 for travel to the UAE. We’re ready to quickly support the expected pent-up demand for destinations in the Middle East.”

 

The Travel Network Group commercial director Katharina Peck noted: “We’ve seen the UAE re-enter our top-20 destinations for the first time in several weeks.”

 

But she added: “That said, there hasn’t been an immediate spike in bookings, which is typical - customer confidence tends to return gradually rather than overnight. More broadly, long-haul demand remains stable, with strong forward interest, particularly into 2027, and we would expect the Middle East to benefit over time as sentiment continues to improve.”

 

However, Dawson & Sanderson said the agency chain had already seen “a huge increase in bookings to Dubai and long-haul destinations via Dubai”.

 

Commercial and corporate director Judith Alderson said: “The peace deal and the lifting of the FDCO restriction for UAE has certainly provided consumers with the confidence that they previously lacked.”

 

Similarly, Travelpack said demand for the region had already risen since the Middle East peace deal was announced.

 

Product manager Minal Patel said: “Since the announcement last week we have seen an immediate response for demand to travel back to the region.

 

“Dubai is always the most sought after, but i’ve seen requests for Oman and also Saudi back in our inbox.  This was anticipated and highly encouraging for us.  We were back on sale immediately and the teams were ready for the bounce back.”

 

Natasha Towey, managing director at Carrier, said the low‑season timing of the advice change gave hotels time to become fully operational ahead of October’s peak, but stressed clients wanted “certainty, reassurance, flexibility and protection”.

 

Ian Gilder, managing director at Adore Holidays, said: “I’ve had a couple of Dubai enquiries since [the news] even though it is not one of my main markets.”

 

But he added: “I will still err on the side of caution when I speak to people; something might change again.”

 

Inside Travel described the FCDO advice as "very good news for travel across Asia" but also stressed it was "exercising caution" and continuing to keep an eye on developments in case the situation changed.