European tourism faces a sharp decline in visitors from Asia and the Middle East due to the Iran war, with Switzerland and Britain reporting significant booking drops.
GENEVA: Tourism officials across Europe report a significant decline in visitors from Asia and the Middle East due to the ongoing war in Iran.
Switzerland Tourism spokesman André Aschwanden told dpa that guests from Asia cancelled trips in March partly because flights via West Asian hubs like Dubai were cancelled.
He added that new bookings are also declining, which is particularly unfortunate as it is currently the high season for travel to Europe from the Gulf states, India, and Southeast Asia.
The impact is being felt in Zurich, where director of Zurich Tourism Thomas Wüthrich said the absence of international guests was noticeable in March according to feedback from the catering sector, retail, and other tourist services.
He attributed the problem to general uncertainty about international travel, which has left bookings for the summer and autumn depressed.
In Lucerne, around two-thirds of businesses reported a declining booking trend, according to Jessica Ternes from the Hotellerie Suisse Central Switzerland association.
She noted that businesses with a high share of group travellers from Asia and guests from the Gulf states are particularly affected.
Great Britain, a usual magnet for guests from West Asia, has also seen a sharp drop in interest.
VisitBritain reported that almost a third of big-spending tourists from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates who travelled to Europe went to Great Britain.
The tourism organisation stated that since the war started on Feb 28, flight bookings from West Asia have dropped 50% and those from India are down by a third.
Bookings through to July remain significantly below the level of the previous year as tourists wait to see how the situation develops.
