Traveling to Israel has become harder since the re-start of the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Now, with the recent strike launched by Iran into Israeli territory, many people are rethinking their travel plans to any country in the area. In the last few days, multiple airlines have canceled flights to Tel Aviv. This will make getting a commercial flight into Israeli territory increasingly difficult.
Israel is, of course, not the only country in the line of fire. Amidst the recent hostilities, the UK government was among the first to warn its citizens against traveling to certain countries. They quickly listed Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen as countries that they advise people not to travel to. Regarding Israel, the UK’s foreign office uses a heat map to warn travelers against reaching certain parts of the country. Any trip that takes people within 3 miles of the Gaza Strip falls in the red zone. These areas are places where people are told to stay out of. When it comes to the Holy City of Jerusalem, it’s technically within the yellow zone.
The yellow spots on the map indicate areas that should only be reached if travel is essential. Overall, tourists are being told to avoid the country altogether. With the recent hostilities, there’s no telling which part of the country may or may not be attacked next. Also, as mentioned, many airlines are canceling their flights. Therefore, logistically, it will become more complex and more expensive to travel there this summer.
Egypt and Turkey are two other countries reasonably close to the conflict that travelers frequent. In Turkey, there are no travel restrictions. However, some countries advise people to stay away from the area that borders Syria. Despite this, most popular tourist destinations within the country will be accessible to tourists this summer. There could be an issue with flights from certain parts of the world. However, this remains to be seen. There hasn’t been a massive cancellation of flights to Turkey, as there have been flights to Israel.
When it comes to Egypt, things are operating as usual. The UK foreign office mentions that all of the popular tourist attractions within the region are “generally safe.” This doesn’t mean that travelers shouldn’t be on the lookout for some of the usual dangers in the area. In Egypt, fraud and theft are two uncomfortable issues that tourists have been known to be victims of for years. At this point, however, it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll end up in the middle of a war zone if they travel to the country. All popular resorts that run along the Nile River are set to continue operating as usual. As mentioned earlier, some air travel routes could change to reach these destinations. That’s something that tourists should be aware of.
