It's only 1 July, but already, it doesn't half feel like a long year. After a promising start to 2026, the US and Israel's assault on Iran in late February prompted three months of conflict, and shut one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

So beyond the closure of several major destinations in the Middle East, the loss of transit options, and the subsequent impacts on consumer confidence and household finances, travel has been beset by months of frenzied headlines about fuel shortages. A perfect storm.

But a tentative peace agreement between the US and Iran has, so far, broadly held, allowing the Foreign Office to earlier this month stop advising against all but essential travel to the UAE and Qatar. And the effects are already being felt by agents.

“It's been a slightly quieter June compared with previous years, but we've definitely noticed things picking up,” says Lisa Weakley, Managing Director of Global Independent Travel in Clevedon. “We're still getting some really good bookings through, including some lovely late deals, so there's still plenty of demand from customers looking to get away this summer.”

Mark Donaldson, Manager of Your Coop Travel in Solihull, tells a similar story: “It's been quite quiet this month, especially the last 10 days because of the hot weather,” he says. “However, saying that, we did put some good-value bookings through and we did hit branch target for the four-week period.”

Middle East boost  

The FCDO finally lifting its ban on travel to the UAE on 18 June seems to be having a tangible effect on enquiries and bookings already.

Advantage Travel Partnership Chief Executive Julia Lo Bue-Said confirms to TTG that since the advice was eased, its agent mebers have reported a clear uptick in enquiries, not just for the UAE but for destinations beyond it, as the removal of restrictions reopens long-haul routes through the Gulf hubs.

“This week [week commencing 22 June] alone, we've seen bookings to the region climb by 11% week-on-week, with Dubai the standout destination, particularly for breaks from September and into 2027 when temperatures ease,” she says.

Tricia Handley-Hughes, InteleTravel UK and Ireland Managing Director, bears similarly positive news, reporting UAE bookings are up by 25% in the past 10 days compared with the 10 days prior when TTG spoke to her late last week.

“Every week that confidence about returning to the UAE grows,” she says. “We’re 33% [up] across the board and lates bookings are performing really well for us. We’re seeing £40,000, £50,000 bookings coming through. We’re seeing group bookings coming through.

“It doesn't mean that people are looking for deals – I think they’re looking for good value.”

Handley-Hughes adds some of InteleTravel’s long-haul partners had shared that they’d also seen an increase in transit traffic.

Advantage Travel Partnership / InteleTravel

DTL Travel founder Dave Leyshon reveals he’s had two new enquiries for Dubai since the advice lifted. “Demand there will recover,” he insists. “Thailand will continue to be a favourite with families and couples, and I also expect the USA and Turkey to remain strong sellers.

"My family and I are travelling to Abu Dhabi ourselves in November, so I'm personally comfortable travelling there. I'm not actively promoting Middle East holidays on my social media, but I do share supplier offers in my stories as a kind of virtual shop window.”

Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, Managing Director of Barrhead Travel, is also confident that travellers are ready to start thinking about the Middle East again.

“I’m confident customers will be ready to re-engage," she says. "And this update gives us the assurance to proactively reintroduce these destinations into both our conversations and marketing to help drive bookings.”

She sounds a note of caution, though, that “clear, up-to-date guidance remains key”, before adding: "This is undoubtedly a positive step that should help restore momentum across the market."

Weakley agrees: “I think it is still early days and travellers will continue to monitor the situation closely, and we'll always encourage them to stay informed before they travel.”

Too soon?

Donaldson, meanwhile, believes the FCDO may have lifted its advice a little prematurely, a view shared by agents who attended Aito's recent "famference" in Switzerland.

“I think the advice was lifted a bit too soon, to be honest," says Donaldson. "I was always under the impression that once this [US-Iran peace] agreement had come into place, the FCDO would have to wait so many days before officially changing their advice.

"There are still explosions going on [in the Middle East] as recently as the last couple of days. The FCDO should have waited at least a couple of weeks to make sure nothing else happened.

“It's positive for agents that the advice has been lifted because it's encouraging more customers to come back in and book, but from a safety point of view, I feel it shouldn't have been lifted as quickly as it was because, potentially, they may be putting it back on the no-fly list in the next couple of weeks.”

World Cup win

Elsewhere in the market, one agent describes the arrival of the Fifa World Cup as having been an “extraordinary experience” for her agency, including booking players’ families.

Nadine Brady, founder of Travl.love, said: “The World Cup has been an extraordinary experience for us. We've had clients flying into Kansas City, New York, Atlanta and Dallas, including families of players competing in the tournament and families of ex-professionals out there as pundits and commentators.

“Almost all of it is last minute, completely dependent on which teams progress and which games matter to them.”

Brady says it has challenged the team to “really prove their worth”. “We’ve been holding seats on flights, ensuring relevant paperwork, restructuring itineraries overnight, being available on WhatsApp well outside normal office hours," she reveals.

"It's been intensive and genuinely hard work, but when you get a client to the stadium for the match they needed to be at, the trust that builds is everything.”

Looking to lates

Many of the agents TTG spoke to were hopeful of a strong lates. “I do feel we'll get a late surge,” says Donaldson. "I'm expecting the late market to start happening for us around mid-July, because the kids break up and then generally a week to 10 days afterwards it gets busy.”

Leyshon agrees: “People are still booking for this year, but I've also seen a big influx of bookings for next year. In the last couple of weeks alone, I've had a huge number of people booking holidays to travel within the next three weeks, so I think we'll have a strong late market this summer.”

Weakley is also feeling confident: “We expect the late market to remain steady. While many people are booking earlier to secure their preferred hotels and prices, there's still a number of customers looking for last-minute getaways, particularly if good value becomes available closer to departure.”

Healthy outlook

Encouragingly, most of the agents believe there is more good news to come. “I'm feeling optimistic about the rest of the year,” says Donaldson. “Travel is such a volatile industry, and there's always something happening somewhere in the world that can put people off.

"Luckily, our branch is one of the busier branches, so we may not have a good week, but generally we make up for it in the following weeks. We're expecting it to be busy for the rest of the year.”

Leyshon says he is "feeling very positive about the rest of the year". "We're fortunate to have stayed mostly busy, and bookings are continuing to come in.”

And Weakley too tells TTG she is “feeling optimistic about the second half of the year”. “We always try to be positive and believe people will continue to prioritise travel,” she adds.

“Consumer confidence has been improving. They're looking for great value, but they're also prioritising quality and experiences, so we expect demand to remain healthy across a range of destinations.”

Summing up the mood, Brady believes there is a common thread. “Running through the whole year is the same underlying pattern – clients are travelling around moments," she explains.

“Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, multi-generational family trips – they're not spending less, they're just expecting more – and leaning on us harder to deliver it.”