After the war fears - appetite for travel returns in the eastern Mediterranean

When the war in Iran broke out at the end of February, demand for travel to several nearby destinations fell. But according to information from airlines, tour operators and industry data, the market has recovered significantly in recent weeks, reports Financial Times.

During the second week of June, searches for trips to both Turkey and Egypt increased by around a third compared with the previous week. For Cyprus, which was affected by a drone attack at the start of the conflict, searches rose by 29 per cent.

“Since May, the development has been dramatic. In March, we were 20 per cent behind ahead of the summer, but now we are quickly recovering what was lost,” Nick Aristou, commercial director of the hotel group Muskita in Cyprus, told Financial Times.

Airline EasyJet is also seeing a clear recovery. According to chief executive Kenton Jarvis, many hotels in the region have lowered prices to attract guests back, which means travellers can get a higher standard for their money than in more established holiday markets such as Spain.

EasyJet Holidays says that Egypt is one of the clearest examples of the rapid turnaround. In just a few weeks, the destination has gone from weak booking performance to strong growth compared with the same period last year, according to the company’s head, Garry Wilson.