Unrest and protests are making tourists consider other options than the Middle East agents say (Getty Images).
Travel to Europe and the Far East will benefit off the back of the instability sweeping the Arab world, as travellers look to avoid countries rocked by political protests.
Violent clashes continue to erupt across the Middle East in protests inspired by revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt,which is causing a dent in travel demand across the entire region, say agents.
Mark Reed, general manager, Arabian Pacific said: “I think several parts of the Middle East will have fallen from clients’ holiday lists at least for now.
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“For western expats who may have traditionally considered Tunisia or Egypt for a good value summer break, maybe the more conventional mainland European destinations will be a greater consideration this year, or for good value they will head East instead.”
Aloke Dey, holiday manager at Sharaf Travel said that the whole region was suffering from a dent in travel demand as travellers remained unsure of how the situation would develop.
“Simultaneously unrest is cropping up in other countries too. It is uncertain that leisure travellers will consider travel to any of these destinations (including Lebanon) until there is absolute peace in the entire region. Traffic will alternatively get distributed to the Far East and Europe, while the high spenders may even opt to visit US.”
Abdulla Abu Khamseen, executive general manager, Kanoo Travel also predicted that Europe and the Far East would be the areas to benefit from instability in the region.
“We are experiencing some interest towards the Mediterranean region. We also expect Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey to be popular among holiday makers this year.”
Khamseen said he still expected Arab tourists to continue trips to Egypt, but added: “we predict a drop in numbers of tourists of other nationalities.”
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