Egypt, Jordan and Co.: Is travel to the Middle East still safe?

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Conflicts in the Middle East make the world uneasy. Also in the tourism sector: On the one hand, repeated bomb threats are disrupting operations at airports, and on the other hand, travelers are increasingly asking themselves questions about security during travel. Of course, this is especially true for tours close to the conflict zone. Philippe Raselli of Zurich specialist Holiday Maker Tours admits that demand for trips to Israel has come to a complete halt.

In its travel advice, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) now clearly recommends against tourist and other non-urgent travel to Israel. Trips planned to Israel with major tour operators Kuoni and Hotelplan will be refunded free of charge or rebooked to alternative destinations in the near future.

The same goes for Lebanon, north of Israel. The FDFA advises against travel there and Switzerland has suspended flights to Beirut. “However, none of the other destinations will be affected by this measure,” Hotelplan spokeswoman Bianca Gähweiler said.

What about Israel’s neighboring countries?

“We have yet to notice a noticeable change in travel behavior in other countries such as Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates or Saudi Arabia,” says Raselli. Hotelplan and Kuoni have experienced isolated cancellations for trips to Jordan and a few rebookings for trips to Egypt. Emirates and Saudi Arabia do not appear to be affected. The latter is still a niche product for tourism.

The biggest concern is Egypt, which is a popular “hot destination” during the winter due to its proximity to Switzerland. Although the FDFA has modified its travel advice, it does not explicitly recommend against travel to Egypt. The same goes for Jordan. Only border areas, i.e. conflict zones, should be avoided.

In the case of Jordan, these are the borders with Iraq and Syria, and in the case of Egypt, these are the borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip. But these are not tourist areas, except for the Gulf of Aqaba at the eastern end of the Red Sea, where Israel, Egypt and Jordan have beaches within sight of each other. But the situation is calm there. All flights to these countries operate normally.

700 kilometers from Tel Aviv

You cannot expect free cancellation or re-booking from the organizers when traveling to the mentioned countries, as the FDFA does not expressly advise against travel. People in the Egyptian seaside resort of Hurghada, 700 kilometers from Tel Aviv, are certainly not directly affected by the conflict. Of course, the risk of attack continues.

However, the FDFA does not advise against travel: “Such a measure would be disproportionate given the impossibility of predicting attacks. This will support the terrorists’ aim of fueling insecurity and fear.” But what is clear is that if the conflict continues, or even expands, it will significantly reduce the appetite for holidays in Middle Eastern countries.

Source :Blick