Brits are now avoiding booking holidays to GREECE due to Iran conflict despite still being safe to travel
GREECE is the latest holiday destination seeing a drop in holiday bookings amid the Iran crisis.
In a statement released this week, On The Beach confirmed a number of popular holiday destinations including Greece had seen a drop in demand as a result of growing tensions in the Middle East.
The announcement came as the online package holiday provider made a statement that it was suspending its profit forecast.
The group said: “Whilst the group has limited exposure to destinations in the Middle East, it has experienced a significant slowdown in demand following the onset of conflict in the region, particularly to destinations such as Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
“The timing of when the conflict will end and the shape of recovery in demand to these destinations are unknown.”
Despite this, the Government currently has no warning against travel to Greece.
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And there are other companies, such as TUI, that have seen increased interest in Greece (along with Portugal and Spain)as “customers opt for familiar destinations”, reports The Times.
Taking to Reddit, travellers currently in Greece have shared what it is like.
One person commented: “I’m in Athens currently and it’s very crowded, also it feels perfectly safe.”
Another person said: “I live in Peloponnese, southern tip on the coast of Greece.
“We’ve been hearing a ton of military planes flying around us the last few days.
“They are definitely preparing for the worst but we are not scared at all.”
Earlier this month, the RAF Akrotiri base on Cyprus was hit by an Iranian drone.
As a result, there was a temporary closure of Paphos Airport, with flights being cancelled.
Despite this, Cyprus remains on the safe to travel list with the Foreign Office warning: “Regional escalation poses significant security risks and has led to travel disruption.”
Current guidance includes monitoring local and international media and signing up for local information alerts and resources.
However, similar to Greece, Cyprus has also seen a drop in tourism.
Local businesses have expressed how people are “thinking twice” about visiting, with a number of hoteliers saying that bookings are down across March and April.
Cyprus’ foreign minister Constantinos Kombos told the BBC: “I don’t think that anyone should be in two minds, given the fact that the situation, as I have been describing right now as we speak, has been perfectly normal.
“All activity is normal. Air traffic is going back to 100 per cent what it was before the incident.
“So I don’t think this is something that should be affecting people’s decisions.
“And the security factor in terms of people feeling that everything is being done that is humanly possible to protect both citizens, residents, and visitors to Cyprus.”
A number of European cruises have also been cancelled as a result of the crisis, including two Greek sailings.
Plus, now might be the best time to book your holiday to Spain – here’s why.