Summer holidaymakers from the UK and mainland Europe are increasingly switching their bookings from eastern Mediterranean destinations to alternative spots such as Italy, Spain, Malta, Croatia and the Caribbean, amid the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran. Travel companies report a notable rise in demand for what they describe as “familiar, easy-to-reach locations” as flight cancellations and airspace closures disrupt the region.
Tui, Europe’s largest holiday operator, said it has seen a sharp increase in recent days in bookings for Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cape Verde. Neil Swanson, a director at Tui, noted that while cancellations are occurring in affected areas, they are currently outweighed by customers choosing to amend their plans. Hays Travel’s Jonathon Woodall-Johnston added that demand is particularly strong for Italy, Malta and Croatia, with more travellers also looking across the Atlantic to avoid disruption.
Long-haul Caribbean holidays have proven especially popular. Tui reported strong demand for direct flights to the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, while Mark Duguid of Kuoni said interest in the Caribbean had been “off the charts” for trips in the coming weeks. He highlighted that flight prices have surged, with economy seats rising by as much as £1,000 per person, pricing some holidays out of reach. Price tracking from Google shows the cheapest round-trip London to Antigua and Barbuda fare for late March has climbed 27% in a week, from £720 to £917.
The conflict is already taking a toll on the travel industry. On the Beach suspended its annual profit guidance on Thursday, citing the “unknown” duration and outcome of the war, and reported a “significant slowdown” in bookings to Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt, as well as Greece. Shares in the online agent fell by up to 13%, while easyJet and Jet2 have seen declines of 16% and 10%, respectively. Loveholidays, tipped for a 2026 London listing, is reportedly preparing to delay its flotation according to the Financial Times.
British Airways has cancelled its seasonal Abu Dhabi route from Heathrow until later this year, and Wizz Air is reallocating about half of its Middle East capacity—roughly 25 to 30 daily flights—to European destinations such as Croatia, Spain, Portugal and Italy until September. The Foreign Office is advising against travel to the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates the Middle East’s tourism sector is losing $600m (£448m) a day in visitor spending, having previously forecast $207bn in international visitor spending for the region this year.
