The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates that war is costing the sector US$600 million (£448 million) a day. For travellers, the impact is immediate: repatriation flights from the Gulf and further afield or urgent cancellations of trips this month. Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, the managing director of the Glasgow-based agency Barrhead Travel, confirms that long-haul travel is still on the agenda. There has been an uptick in bookings for Barbados Getty imagesOver Easter, flights are indeed more expensive than normal, as global demand surges for destinations that avoid the Middle East. Even for holidaymakers with Easter bookings to the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean, it’s still a watch-and-wait situation, and a case of knowing your rights if your holiday or flight is cancelled.

Source: The Times March 13, 2026 05:02 UTC