AS A RESULT of the Iran crisis, Brits have been looking for different destinations to travel to, with demand rising for some countries.
The conflict in the Middle East has had a ripple effect throughout the travel sector, with Brits being forced to cancel their holidays as the Foreign Office has issued ‘do not travel’ warnings to some destinations.
And now, Brits looking at booking a holiday are choosing destinations closer to home in Europe.
Last week, On The Beach confirmed that they had experienced a drop in demand for popular holiday destinations including Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt, as a result of growing tensions in the Middle East.
This is despite the Government having no warning against travel to any of the popular holiday regions in these countries.
But on the other hand, TUI has seen increased interest in Greece, as well as Portugal and Spain, as customers look to “familiar destinations”.
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Neil Swanson, a director at TUI, said: “While we are seeing some cancellations in the affected areas, these are currently outweighed by customers choosing to amend their plans instead,” reports The Guardian.
Hays Travel on the other hand, has seen interest grow for trips to Italy, Malta and Croatia.
And Surrey-based holiday operator Kuoni has seen interest in longer haul destinations such as the Caribbean grow although this also comes with a jump in price as well.
Mark Duguid from Kuoni said: “What we’ve seen is huge increases in flight prices, because the seats remaining are limited – we are talking about seats going up by £1,000 a person for an economy seat, which then prices the holiday out of the market for many customers.”
Pure One Travel founder, Wesley Baker, said: “Travellers are still eager to explore the world, but geopolitical events inevitably influence where people choose to go.
“We are seeing customers pivot towards destinations they perceive as easier and more straightforward to reach.”
The tour operator added that interest has increased for destinations such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.
Baker added: “Many travellers are simply redirecting their plans rather than cancelling them.
“Europe remains extremely popular, while long-haul destinations in Latin America are also attracting interest from travellers looking for something more adventurous.”
According to Expedia, popular European destinations for this spring based on search data include Paris in France; Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Rome in Italy and Majorca and Tenerife in Spain.
Ljubljana in Slovenia has seen a 90 per cent increase in search as well, and Valencia in Spain has seen a 65 per cent increase.
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot explained: “There’s no doubt the current crisis in the Middle East is going to have a seismic impact on our holiday habits.
“Reports of travellers stranded in the UAE and across the globe will certainly prompt those looking to travel long haul to look at alternative ways to fly – with direct flights to places like Thailand, the Maldives and Japan sure to be very popular.
“Closer to home, the situation will sadly likely impact destinations like Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus and possibly even Greece.
“And with soaring fuel costs, tour operators will be looking to price alternative destinations competitively.
“But there are other options – our traditional resorts in places like Spain and Portugal are good, safe bets.
“Comparison giant TravelSupermarket has crunched the numbers for this summer and declared Spain’s Costa Calida one of the best-value destinations for this summer.
“Dubbed the ‘warm coast’, this region stretching along the south eastern region of Murcia is one of Spain’s most underrated coastlines with 150miles of beaches, crystal clear waters and the unique Mar Menor lagoon, Europe’s largest saltwater lake.
“Also worth exploring are the likes of Montenegro, Albania and even North Macedonia for cheaper hotel and restaurant costs as well as traditional favourite Bulgaria.”
For more inspiration on where to go on holiday, here are 10 European getaways in the Easter holidays for under £200 per person.
Plus, cheeky 48-hour holidays to Europe’s best cities, beach towns and islands this summer from £167.