Is it safe to travel to the Middle East?

Following airstrikes on Iran by the United States and Israel, conflict has spread across the Middle East. This has resulted in airspace closure and travel warnings from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Here’s what you need to know, whether you’re planning on travelling or are looking to book a trip.

What is the latest Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice on travelling to the Middle East?

The current regional escalation has resulted in a change of advice by the FCDO for the following countries.

The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and United Arab Emirates (including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah). It advises against all travel to Israel.

If you travel to a country that the FCDO is advising against travel to, your travel insurance is likely to be invalidated.

If you have a package holiday booked to a destination that the FCDO is advising against travel to, you have extra protection. ABTA says that its: “Members might be able to offer you an alternative holiday. If they can’t, or if the alternative means a significant change to your original holiday, they must offer you a full refund of all money paid.”

Is it safe to travel to Cyprus?

The FCDO does not warn against travel to Cyprus. There have been some flight cancellations from easyJet and British Airways, so if you’re due to travel imminently, talk to your holiday company or airline and keep an eye out for alerts.

Aside from this, holidays to areas popular with Brits such as the Paphos area and Larnaca area will continue as usual.

On its Cyprus page, the FCDO advises signing up to FCDO travel advice alerts, monitoring local and international media for the latest information, signing up to local information alerts and resources, following the instructions of local authorities and keeping your departure plans under review, ensuring your travel documents are up-to-date.

Is it safe to travel to Egypt?

Although not new advice, the FCDO advises against all travel to certain parts of Egypt including within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border (except for the town of El Salloum, where it advises against all but essential travel), the North Sinai and the northern parts of South Sinai.

There is no travel warning in place for many popular resorts in Egypt including Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada and El Gouna, so holidays are carrying on as usual here.

The FCDO advises signing up to FCDO travel advice email alerts, monitoring local and international media for the latest information, signing up to local information alerts and resources, following the instructions of the local authorities and staying away from areas around security or military facilities.

Is it safe to travel to Turkey?

Existing advice not to travel within 10km of the Turkey-Syria border is still in place from the FCDO.

However, there is no advice in place not to travel to the Antalya area, Dalaman area or Bodrum area.

The FCDO advises following advice from the local authorities, signing up to FCDO Travel Advice email alerts, monitoring local and international media for the latest information, staying away from areas around security or military facilities, keeping your departure plans under review and ensuring your travel documents are up-to-date.

Is it safe to travel to Oman?

The FCDO does not warn against travel to Oman but includes a warning for British nationals in the city of Duqm and surrounding area.

The FCDO advises signing up to FCDO travel advice email alerts, following advice from the local authorities and sign up to receive information and alerts (with mention if the Oman News Agency), monitoring local and international media for the latest information, staying away from areas around security or military facilities, keeping your departure plans under review, and ensuring your travel documents are up to date.

What happens if I already have a holiday booked?

If you’ve booked a package holiday to a country that the FCDO is advising against travel to, your holiday is likely to be cancelled and you will be entitled to a refund or to change your trip to an alternative destination.

If you’ve booked a package holiday to a destination that the FCDO considers to be safe, you are not entitled to a refund and your normal booking terms and conditions will apply. However, if you do not want to travel and would like to change your destination, it is worth talking to your travel company as they may offer alternative solutions.