The World Council for Travel and Tourism (WTTC) calculates that the conflict with Iran is causing daily losses of up to $600 million for tourism.
A part of that impact ends up being transferred to the traveler in the form of more expensive, longer and more uncertain journeys.
Throughout the tourism sector, the war in the Middle East is not only interrupting travel to destinations affected by the conflict, but is also affecting air routes, raising costs, generating an energy crisis, modifying the behavior of travelers and putting pressure on tourism companies far beyond the region itself.
In Petra (Jordan), one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, historical lows have been reported in the arrival of visitors due to the war escalation. Although the archaeological site has not suffered direct damage, the interception of projectiles over Jordanian airspace and the fall of remains in various provinces have dissuaded international tourism. Airlines such as Ryanair have canceled routes to this destination.
In the same sense, the Taj Mahal (India) – one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and other wonders of Asia, are affected by this war conflict although they are outside the combat zone. The closure of airspace in the Gulf Corridor forces airlines to take longer routes, which significantly increases the price of tickets and flight time for tourists traveling from the West.
In addition, the increase in fuel prices due to tension in the Strait of Hormuz has skyrocketed the price of air tickets worldwide.
The conflict has also generated a connectivity crisis, key connection centers such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi have suffered operational interruptions and partial airspace closures. This affects 14% of international air traffic that passes through this area.
On the other hand, there was a diversion of demand, a massive displacement of tourists to destinations considered “safe” is observed, mainly on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, Italy and Portugal, which are absorbing the flow that was previously directed to the Middle East and Asia.