UK travellers have been warned that the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah pose risks for the wider region.
With Israeli fronts in Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen, there are fears that the conflict will spread.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice for countries across the region.
The update addresses the conflict affecting Lebanon and has been added to the FCDO pages for countries including Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
Christina Brazier, head of industry affairs at Aito, The Specialist Travel Association, told i: “Like many in the travel industry, we are closely monitoring the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the growing uncertainty in the region with all due concern; our thoughts are very much with those affected.
“We fully support the FCDO’s efforts to keep travellers informed; the safety and well-being of travellers remains our top priority, as always.
“However, it is important to note that many of the updates to the FCDO’s travel advice are intended to raise awareness, not to discourage travel.”
Brazier added that a lot of the locations highlighted in the FCDO updates are far away from the affected places and remain open as usual to travellers.
She said: “We encourage anyone with particular concerns to contact their tour operator or travel agent for specific guidance on their individual situation.”
Here’s what you need to know.
Is it safe to travel to Egypt?
Egypt’s tourism hotspots, including Cairo, cruise ship stops situated along the Nile and the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh do not have any FCDO travel warnings in place.
However, the FCDO added a general update to its safety and security information for Egypt relating to the conflict affecting Lebanon and does advise against travel to some parts of the country.
“Ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could escalate quickly and pose risks for the wider region,” reads the update.
“Monitor this travel advice and other media as the situation is changing fast.”
The FCDO advises against all travel to North Sinai and also to within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border, except to the town of El Salloum (for which it advises against all but essential travel).
Other areas with an FCDO warning against all but essential travel include the northern part of South Sinai (with exceptions), the eastern part of the Ismailiyah Governorate, the area west of the Nile Valley and Nile Delta regions (with several exceptions, including Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings), the Hala’ib Triangle and Bir Tawil Trapezoid.
See the FCDO’s travel advice for Egypt.
Is it safe to travel to Morocco?
There are no FCDO warnings against travel to any part of Morocco. The information on the conflict affecting Lebanon has also been added to the FDCO travel advice for Morocco. See the FCDO’s travel advice for Morocco.
Is it safe to travel to Tunisia?
Areas of Tunisia that are more typically frequented by British holidaymakers, including Hammamet, do not have any FCDO warnings against travel.
There are parts of Tunisia, including its borders with Algeria and Libya, to which the FCDO advises against all travel, or all but essential travel, however. See the FCDO’s Tunisia advice pages for more information.
Which other countries have received an FCDO update?
An update relating to the conflict affecting Lebanon was applied to the FCDOs’s travel advice for countries across the region, including Algeria, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Oman, among others.
Can I cancel my holiday?
If you want to cancel your holiday to a country in the region, contact your travel provider in the first instance. If the FCDO is not advising against travel to your destination, airlines and tour operators are unlikely to cancel flights or holidays, and, therefore, you would not be due a refund. However, travel companies or hotels may be open to changing the dates of your holiday. Some airlines allow you to alter your booking without incurring an admin fee, although you would still need to pay any difference in the fare.
