Iran war causing staycation spike - holiday firms

Holiday companies in Suffolk said they had seen a rise in people paying for breaks at home, rather than abroad, in light of the war in the Middle East.

The war between the US, Israel and Iran broke out in February, which has led to the price of oil and holidays surging, along with uncertainty around flights.

Awaze, one of Europe's largest holiday rental groups based in Lowestoft, said over Easter it saw a big increase in bookings, and Best of Suffolk cottages said it had seen more demand with people wanting "the guarantee" their holiday was going to happen.

A travel expert told the BBC there had been a "measured shift" towards UK holidays, but it was driven by a "combination of factors".

Louise Brown, head of operations at Awaze, said she had seen more people wanting to stay "closer to home" for certainty around costs, and ensuring they can eventually get home.

"[Customers] have got a little bit of fear with regard to travelling abroad at this particular stage," she said.

"It's the uncertainty of where the war is going to go, how long it's going to go on for, what that means with regard to the cost while they're on holiday, what it could mean if there are any issues, could they get back easily.

"All of these things play a tremendous part of choosing the best holiday for them.

"From the UK side of things, you don't have to worry about those things.

"They can just pack their things up, go on holiday and have a fantastic time with their family."

The war has seen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for jet fuel out of the Gulf, closed for more than six weeks. Earlier this week, the US started a naval blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports after peace talks failed.

It was reopened on Friday for the remaining period of the ceasefire currently in operation.

The International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday the global economy was at risk of recession if the war continued and high energy prices persisted.

The head of the International Energy Agency similarly warned on Thursday that Europe possibly had just six weeks left of jet fuel due to the conflict, but the UK government responded that airlines were not seeing any disruption.

Becky Alderton, experience manager at Best of Suffolk, said a break away was very important for families - and with the conflict causing uncertainty, it was seeing an increase in demand for its cottages.

"Cost is definitely a factor," she said.

"When people are so tight on money, when they want to book their holiday, they want the guarantee that it's going to happen, and that's not possible with abroad travel currently.

"The fact that they can get in their car without any queuing or potential cancellations of their holiday is a big factor when you're dealing with families."

She added she was forecasting more demand if the war continued.

Jennifer Bradnam, a travel agent based in Newmarket with 30 years' experience, said she had not seen a spike in UK staycations herself, but stressed that did not mean it was not happening.

"We are being very confident that everybody is going to be able to travel as normal this summer," she said.

"I think a lot of the things that people are unsure of isn't so much as whether it's safe to travel, but a lot of the rumours regarding fuel shortages and that planes are not going to be able to take off because they're not going to have any fuel.

"That is not the case, that is not the information that we are getting from the airlines or the government."

Bradnam described the situation as "fluid" and instead encouraged people to consider booking their holiday, either in the UK or abroad, as soon as they could due to possible price increases.

Travel expert and consumer champion Jane Hawkes said there had been a "measured shift" toward UK staycations.

But she said it seemed to be driven by a "combination of factors rather than one single issue".

"Ongoing geopolitical tensions are playing a role but concerns about rising costs, potential travel disruption and overall uncertainty are equally as influential," she said.

"Many of us are still keen to travel but we are making more savvy decisions about where to go.

"That said, there's little evidence of widespread cancellations of overseas holidays.

"Instead, there is a tendency to pause before booking and waiting until later to lock in plans."

She added it remained "perfectly reasonable" to book overseas holidays, but stressed the key was to prioritise consumer protection and trip flexibility.

Tracy Dolan, from north Lincolnshire, has recently enjoyed a break at a holiday park in Kessingland.

She said financially a UK holiday was better for her at the moment, and she could enjoy two or three a year with her two children and husband.

She added that the war in the Middle East had "massively" affected her decision to stay closer to home.

"It's the uncertainty, not knowing... could we get stuck? How are we going to get back home?

"Here, we've come down and we're safe. We're in the UK and we know what we're getting."

Robbie Kenny, a Lowestoft resident, said he had just cancelled a family holiday to Benidorm on the Spanish coast.

He said the "prices jumping up" had made him want to stay in the UK, and the Middle East disruption had played a part in that decision.

"You don't want to go out there and get caught out... you don't want to find yourself stranded, your family stuck abroad not getting home."

He added: "I'm going to stay local in the UK and go to Skegness."

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