War prompts Europeans to switch holidays away from eastern Mediterranean

"Travellers from the UK and mainland Europe are increasingly swapping their holiday destinations away from Cyprus, Turkey and Greece towards Italy, Spain, Malta and Croatia, as the region around the Middle East grapples with flight cancellations and airspace closures."

"While we are seeing some cancellations in the affected areas, these are currently outweighed by customers choosing to amend their plans instead, Neil Swanson, a director at Tui, 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."

Travel companies report significant demand shifts as holidaymakers abandon eastern Mediterranean destinations like Cyprus, Turkey, and Greece in favor of western European locations including Italy, Spain, Malta, and Croatia. The US-Israel conflict with Iran has triggered flight cancellations and airspace closures in the Middle East region. Simultaneously, travelers are increasingly booking Caribbean holidays to avoid disruption. Major operators like Tui, Hays Travel, and Kuoni confirm sharp demand increases for alternative destinations. However, flight prices to remaining available destinations have surged dramatically, with economy seats increasing by up to £1,000 per person, pricing many holidays beyond customer budgets. While some cancellations occur in affected areas, most customers are amending rather than canceling plans.

Read at www.theguardian.com