Growing fears of the Israel-Gaza war sliding into a wider conflict involving Iran and its proxies are affecting demand for air travel to the Middle East, with the number of bookings falling in the region.
Flight tickets issued in the period between July 15 and July 25 for any future travel date to the Middle East are down 7 per cent year on year, with Jordan and Lebanon suffering the biggest drops, data from travel research company ForwardKeys has found.
Bordering the Israel-Gaza conflict, Jordan has recorded a 21 per cent year-on-year decline in flight bookings and Lebanon a 14 per cent decrease in tickets booked between July 15 and July 25 for future travel dates, the data showed.
“Travellers increasingly prioritise destinations perceived as stable and secure, and the escalation of tensions in the region will undoubtedly impact travel demand in some way,” Olivier Ponti, director of intelligence and marketing at ForwardKeys, told The National.
Data for flight bookings made in the first seven months of the year also reflects concerns about escalating geopolitical threats in the Middle East.
In the period between January and July 25, Lebanon and Jordan recorded a 25 per cent and 21 per cent year-on-year decline, respectively, for tickets issued. Flight ticket bookings to Egypt are 3 per cent down year on year, “suggesting neighbouring countries are being the most impacted” by the war in Gaza, said Spain-based ForwardKeys.
“Recent political tensions in the region have caused signs of a slowdown in air travel demand, with the outlook for the rest of the year remaining 2 per cent down year on year,” Mr Ponti said.
Leisure travel demand remained on par with the volume of tickets issued last year, while business travel was down 8 per cent, group travel declined 5 per cent and travel to visit friends and family dropped 2 per cent, suggesting consumer confidence is being affected by the conflict, ForwardKeys said.
International airlines have suspended flights to the Middle East or avoided affected airspace amid concerns of a wider confrontation that would draw Iran and Lebanon into a full-on war. Lufthansa on Monday said it had extended its avoidance of Iranian and Iraqi airspace and that it would suspend flights to and from Tel Aviv, Tehran, Beirut, Amman and Erbil until August 21 at the earliest.
Tensions have flared as Iran and its allies vowed to retaliate against Israel for the high-profile killings of Hezbollah's top military commander Fouad Shukr in Lebanon and Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran late last month.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israeli forces across the border between Lebanon and Israel.
The war began when Hamas and allied militant groups attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing about 1,200 people. Israel's retaliatory air strikes and a ground campaign have killed about 39,900 in Gaza to date, says the enclave’s Health Ministry.
A widening of the Israel-Gaza war would severely dent the economic prospects of Lebanon and Israel and further slow growth in Tehran's sanction-hit economy, according to analysts.
For Lebanon, this could mean an economic contraction of 10 per cent to 15 per cent this year, halve its tourism revenue and sever its vital air links, analysts have said.
For crisis-hit Lebanon, a full-scale armed conflict would heighten uncertainty, increase potential losses and lead to the displacement of up to 100,000 people from the south of the country, which would put additional pressure on infrastructure, schools and health systems in other cities, Nasser Saidi, a former economy minister and vice governor of Lebanon's central bank, told The National.
The tourism sector is a major pillar of the Lebanese economy and the country's dependence on the industry has increased as a percentage of its gross domestic product.
“Anything that negatively impacts tourism such as war and violence, or the threat of war and violence, will negatively affect tourist arrivals so it will be a hit to the tourism sector and to the economy,” Mr Saidi said.
Lebanon has relied on high-spending European and Arab tourists, but with the dwindling numbers of international visitors, it is depending on the Lebanese diaspora returning home to visit family and friends.
“But most of them own apartments or stay with their families and friends, which means that hotels and the hospitality industry have fewer people visiting from outside,” he said.
The country is also caught in a “remittance trap” whereby the Lebanese are increasingly reliant on remittances from abroad as a political stalemate is hindering necessary economic reforms to attract foreign investors, Mr Saidi said.
“Remittances are increasingly coming in cash because of a 'zombie' banking system and because the cost of remitting money to Lebanon has increased,” he said.
Travel demand to the GCC
Meanwhile, demand for travel to GCC countries, which are further removed from the conflict and seen as safe and secure, has risen.
Tickets issued to GCC countries so far this year have increased by 10 per cent compared with last year, with Qatar and Kuwait performing well.
“Air travel demand within the Middle East still remains positive for some destinations,” Mr Ponti said.
The number of inbound tourists during the year to July 25 into Qatar has surged 53 per cent on annual basis, the UAE 11 per cent and Saudi Arabia 10 per cent higher than the same period last year, according to ForwardKeys.
Tickets issued in the period between July 15 and July 25 with any future travel date to Qatar have increased 21 per cent and to Kuwait up 17 per cent year on year, it said.
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0
West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Everton 0 Liverpool 0
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
RESULTS
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019
Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital
Top pick: National Commercial Bank
Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects
Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes
Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank
Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates
Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank
Top pick: Arab National Bank
Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends
57%20Seconds
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
more from Janine di Giovanni
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
