Tourism in the Middle East, another victim of the war between Israel and Hamas

The main tourist destinations in middle East They try to continue attracting visitors despite the tension generated by the war between Israel and Hamas, that has paralyzed the sector in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanonand threatens to derail the post-pandemic recovery in Egypt.

The Middle East had managed to position itself at the forefront of global growth in the sector in 2023, with a rebound in 22% of activity compared to 2019, according to data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), but arrivals and reservations came to a screeching halt in the third quarter of the year, after the Hamas attack in Israel and the Israeli bombings in Gaza.

“Operations had to be cancelled, not because anything really happened, but simply because the feeling of fear of traveling to the area exploded and took root among both clients and travel agents,” Alberto Díaz, general director of Mapa Tours, one of the main Spanish wholesalers, tells EFE.

Activity has not been reactivated since then and the level of demand continues at minimum levels, says Díaz. Egypt is the destination that has first begun to recover some activity, despite the stagnation, while Jordan remains at a standstill and trips to Israel are completely frozen.

“As long as this situation continues, there are practically no reserves”confirms, for his part, Alejandro de la Osa, CEO of Europamundo.

In the first months, after the start of the conflict, only cancellations came in, no reservations for the region, says De la Osa. Although he admits that the situation has rebounded “shyly” in recent weeks, emphasizes that prospects will continue to be diminished as long as the violence lasts.

“The size of the crisis is different from what has happened on other occasions, such as when the president of USA, donald trumptook the embassy to Jerusalem, when there was a moment of tension. “This is an open crisis, the beginning of a war.”he adds.

Although in destinations like Dubai, further away from Israel, the drop is less pronounced, the Middle East as a whole will not recover normal traffic until the war ends, according to the head of Europamundo, who emphasizes that this scenario will divert international tourists to Europe and force European tourists to look for alternative destinations.

Hotels remain open

Hakim Tamimi, director of the Jordanian Tourism Office in Spain, estimates that the activity of the sector in his country plummeted by 85% at the end of the year, while reserves until March have fallen by around 60%.

“Holy Week, which is usually a very important week, looks very bad”Tamimi tells EFE, who emphasizes that the situation is stable in the country and tourist establishments continue to operate normally.

“Jordan remains open. “As a people, we feel the pain for what is happening on the other side, because they are our cousins, but we are being punished for an issue that is not ours,” it states.

Aslma Abdelbaki, spokesperson for the Egyptian agency Exotic Tours and Travel, assures, for her part, that the conflict “does not affect” security in Egypt, beyond the problematic situation on the border with Gaza and points out that they have launched programs with lower prices to attract visitors.

From Monturista Travel, specialized in trips to the region, product director Laura Rifà points out that reservations are beginning to arrive again and hopes that from Easter onwards, interest in the Middle East will begin to rise again.

Decrease in international flights

The impact in the last quarter of 2023 is reflected in the fall in international air arrivals, which decreased by 2019 compared to 2019. 31% in Lebanon, where tourism was until now one of the few economic sectors on the rise, and a 26% in Jordan, which has popular attractions such as Petra and is based near the fifteen% of its economy in tourism.

According to data provided to EFE by the tourism intelligence firm ForwardKeys, the outlook for the first half of this year remains depressed: Jordan expects a 26% of international arrivals less compared to 2019 and Lebanon a 44% less.

The effect of the war is even more palpable in Israel, which attracted more than 3 million tourists last year. International arrivals fell by 85% in December compared to the same month before the pandemic, according to the UNWTO, and air reservations for the first half of this year remain a 60% below, according to ForwardKeys.