Tour operators advise tourists not to cancel tours to the Middle East booked for late dates

According to experts from the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI), there have been no mass cancellations of tours to the Middle East for distant dates yet, although tourists are wondering whether they are obliged to do so following the Russian Ministry of Economic Development's travel advisory. RUTI experts emphasize that the conflict in the region may soon end, and it will be unlikely to be possible to book a tour at the same price later due to high pent-up demand and the possible weakening of the ruble. Therefore, they advise tourists with tours planned for late April and early May not to rush into canceling their trips.

There's experience from last June's conflict in the Persian Gulf, when the war ended after 12 days and tourists resumed flying on these routes. Demand typically recovers very quickly in destinations where conflicts end.

Despite significant difficulties, the situation where the United Arab Emirates, one of the leading winter destinations, will be closed to travel in the near future is not considered critical. Turkey is the number one destination for Russian clients, attracting six times more tourists than the UAE. A shift toward summer destinations will soon begin, and tourists will be able to rebook their trip to Turkey for any date.

Photo by Natalia Klimenok