Package holiday providers, including Intrepid Travel and Tui, have cancelled upcoming tours as a result of the conflict between Israel, the US and Iran.
Intrepid Travel has issued a statement saying it has cancelled departures in Egypt, Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia up to and including 31 March.
In a statement, Zina Bencheikh, managing direction for the region, said: “Our first priority is always the safety of our customers and teams and we’re working hard to navigate the disruptions as best we can.
“Jordan and Egypt have already been through a difficult time and both were having an amazing start to the year with bookings up over 75 per cent. This makes the current moment especially worrying for our partners whose livelihoods depend on tourism. Our thoughts are with them, and we hope that peace will soon prevail and that we can quickly restore confidence in travel to the Middle East.”
Other popular operators have similarly postponed packages. First Choice released an update on Sunday, stating that its pre-travel team will be proactively contacting customers due to travel to Qatar or the UAE.
Package provider Tui said it had cancelled four flights to Cyprus on Wednesday, 4 March, in light of the conflict. However, flights are currently scheduled by the operator to fly to the island on Saturday, 7 March. Customers who are affected will be contacted and offered to amend their booking or receive a full refund.
In a statement, Tui said that it is prepared to operate special flights to return customers to the UK with government approval.
Elsewhere, tour provider G Adventures has suspended operations in Jordan, Egypt and Oman up to and including 22 March.
“We are proactively contacting all affected travellers to advise them on our flexible rebooking options,” a spokesperson said.
“Any trips already operating on the ground in Jordan and Egypt will continue to run as scheduled and we are working with travellers to support them should they wish to cancel and depart early.”
Loveholidays said that customers in the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain are advised to follow the advice of the FCDO and local authorities and contact its holiday support team if they need assistance.
“We have taken the decision to cancel and refund all holidays to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain departing up to and including 10 March. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will contact affected customers as necessary,” a spokesperson said.
“Our customer service team is experiencing significant contact volumes, so we would like to thank customers for their patience as we prioritise those who are in affected destinations or due to travel imminently.”
Abta, the UK’s largest travel association representing travel agents and tour operators, has created a dedicated site to support holiday providers.
The organisation has told holidaymakers who are due to travel to or via the Middle East that they should monitor the situation and contact their package provider for further information.
Booking a package holiday in the UK (as opposed to booking the elements separately) ensures the highest level of consumer protection. If a trip is cancelled, holidaymakers can expect a full refund or an alternative holiday.
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