The FCDO last week lifted its advisories against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which have been in place for more than three months following the US and Israel's attacks on Iran in late February.
Agents have told TTG that while they expect demand to visit the Middle East, or transit through it, to return over the coming weeks and months, they won't necessarily start promoting and selling it promptly.
Bakewell Travel owner Jacqueline Cole said it was "great news", but urged the industry to be cautious. "Let's see if the advice has staying power," she said, adding she didn't want to subject clients "to more change, disruption and potential extra expense."
Issam Kazim, Chief Executive of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said "positive progress" has in recent weeks seen hotels, attractions, restaurants and other destination experiences ramp up again, while Dubai-based Emirates has now restored 97% of its global network.
However, he stressed he recognised "many visitors have been waiting for clarity before making their travel plans". "We look forward to welcoming people from the UK to discover, or rediscover, the warm hospitality and experiences our city is known for," he added.
Emirates is currently operating 110 weekly flights between the UK and Dubai, including five daily from Heathrow, three daily from Gatwick and Manchester, and one daily from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stansted, as well as five weekly flights from Newcastle.
Travel patterns 'beginning to recover'
OTA Travel Republic, which was recently acquired by Spain's Destinia Group, said searches for the UAE have quadrupled over the past week, and bookings tripled. However, 83% of these bookings are for travel from August onwards, which the OTA said indicated that while travellers have confidence in the destination, they're still reticent about booking an immediate return.
"This trend points to demand that had been held back during the weeks of uncertainty and is now beginning to materialise, especially for the final stretch of the summer," said Travel Republic. "The main conclusion is that travel patterns seen prior to the regional conflict are beginning to recover."
Ricardo Fernández, Destinia's Chief Executive, added: "The strength of the recovery we've seen since the change in travel advice shows there was significant pent-up demand from British travellers.
"What's particularly encouraging is that we're not only seeing bookings return, but also a recovery in average length of stay and spend, both strong indicators of renewed confidence in the destination."
