The US-Israeli war against Iran could drive a drop of between 11% and 27% in international visitors to the Middle East this year, wiping out as much as $56 billion in tourism revenue, according to estimates published Tuesday by Tourism Economics.
The projection marks a sharp reversal from the firm’s December forecast, which had anticipated a 13% rise in visitors to the region this year.
The revised assessment translates to between 23 million and 38 million fewer international arrivals and a loss of between $34 billion and $56 billion in visitor spending across the region in 2025.
Developments are being closely watched in Cyprus, which has long served as a regional hub in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Although the island is not part of the conflict zone — despite the earlier strike on RAF Akrotiri — its geographic proximity to the Middle East makes its tourism market vulnerable to shifts in international demand and to the broader effects a prolonged crisis could have on regional stability.
(with information from Reuters)
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