Middle East war affecting Netherlands residents' holiday plans
The war in the Middle East is having a big impact on the travel industry in the Netherlands. Locals are suddenly booking far fewer summer vacations to places like Thailand, instead opting for European destinations or further west. And due to a drop in demand, sunny destinations anywhere in the vicinity of Iran are suddenly dirt cheap, AD reports after speaking to the travel organizations.
According to Sunweb, many people are choosing European destinations for their summer and May holidays. “There’s apparently a feeling: it’s better to stay a little closer to home,” Martine Langerak of the travel organization told AD. Holidays in Greece, Portugal, and Spain are very popular. “If you’re looking for something in Mallorca or Ibiza for peak season and have a hefty list of requirements for your hotel or apartment, you really need to act fast.”
Those who still want a long-distance trip are mainly looking west, Petra Kok of TUI told the newspaper. “Countries in the east, like Thailand and Indonesia, were actually on the rise again, but there’s a shift now. Destinations like Cancun in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the ABC Islands are much more popular now. Curacao is particularly popular.”
Other destinations are seeing a severe drop in demand. “And that doesn’t just apply to countries bordering Iran, but also to places a bit further away, such as Egypt, Turkey, and the island of Cyprus,” said Frank Radstake of the ANVR, the umbrella organization for travel agencies. Both Turkey and Cyprus recently suffered airstrikes. There is also a drop in demand for destinations in Asia, because many flights to the east have stopovers in the Middle East.
TUI and Sunweb also noticed this. “There’s no negative travel advisory for these places, but they might still be too close to the conflict for people,” Kok of TUI said. As a result, prices for holidays in these destinations are dropping. Sunweb is currently offering eight days at a four-star all-inclusive resort in Hurghada for €495.
The travel organizations also noted that people are increasingly opting for package holidays since the start of the war. “We’re seeing what we saw with the coronavirus pandemic: people want certainty, and with a package holiday like this, it’s easier to rebook, someone from the travel organization is on-site, and you’ll be brought back if a war breaks out, like now in the Middle East,” Langerak said.
