Middle East conflict shifts travel trends in Asia

According to the aviation data company Cirium, the number of flights to and from the Middle East region canceled has exceeded 46,000 since the war broke out on February 28.

Not only airlines cancel flights, many tourists also actively cancel plans to travel to the Middle East. Some Asian tourists have given up the idea of going to this region and switched to traveling in a closer area.

According to Jay Ellenby, Chairman of Safe Harbors travel group, the number of tour cancellations to the Middle East from the company's Asian customers has increased by about 20-30%. Among them, many tourists said that the non-refundable international ticket exchange fee of about 450 USD was the factor that made them decide to cancel the trip.

Instead, tourists are switching to destinations in Southeast Asia such as Singapore or intra-Asian routes.

Travel booking platforms are also compiling user data to provide more effective suggestions for customers who are waiting for a connecting flight or are hesitant to book tickets.

Maurizio Garavello, Senior Vice President of data analysis company Qlik, said that travel websites are aiming to help users find solutions quickly instead of having to open multiple tabs on the web browser for comparison. Accurately identifying customer issues - such as prices, promotions or safety factors - will help businesses come up with appropriate solutions and increase ticket booking capabilities.

For business customers, the situation is also not much different. Some businesses have temporarily suspended trips to risky areas, causing the number of voluntary cancellations on routes from Europe to Asia to more than double in the first week of March, according to data from travel company Perk.

This shows that businesses are carefully considering ensuring the safety of employees.

Traveling in Southeast Asia, especially by ferry or yacht, is considered a "fast" choice for short vacations, with not too high costs. For example, due to the strong Singapore dollar (SGD), the cost of a trip from Singapore to Batam (Indonesia) is even cheaper than right in the lion island nation.

According to Mr. David Mann, Chief Economist for the Asia-Pacific region of Mastercard, the trend of intra-regional tourism is becoming more attractive to Asian tourists.

Instability in the Middle East along with rising airfares make travel costs unacceptable for many tourists. However, this trend will largely depend on whether oil and aviation fuel prices continue to rise or not.

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