The armed conflict in the Middle East, involving Iran, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, and Jordan, is leading to a clear rise in interest among Belgian customers of TUI for holiday destinations in western and southern Europe. This trend is reflected both in feedback from TUI travel agencies and in online search behaviour on the company’s website, the tour operator said in a press release on Wednesday.
In particular, destinations such as Cape Verde, Spain and Portugal are seeing increased interest. Spain and Portugal have long enjoyed a strong reputation among holidaymakers thanks to their diversity, easy accessibility and reliable infrastructure, the travel company noted.
At the same time, Turkey and Egypt remain extremely popular within TUI’s short- and medium-haul offer due to their modern hotels and attractive price-quality ratio. According to the company, this has made them clear growth markets in recent years.
TUI expects that the shift in interest towards south-western Europe could create an imbalance on the supply side. Hotels in the region are likely to be fully booked much faster this year than during a normal season.
Travellers with specific holiday preferences, or those hoping to secure promotions or appealing last-minute deals, may risk missing out because of limited availability.
TUI obviously want vacationers to book their holidays and not wait. Price-conscious holidaymakers should therefore avoid delaying bookings for the most popular destinations, TUI advocates.
According to TUI, this trend is not limited to Belgium but is also emerging in other markets where the company operates.
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