JustCover research shows 29pc of Irish holidaymakers planned long-haul trips in 2026 involving Gulf stop-overs before the conflict began.
Of the respondend to Jutcover’s survey, 7pc considered holidays to the Gulf region prior to the outbreak of war. Southern Europe remains the top choice for overseas holidays at forty-five percent followed by northern Europe at twenty-four percent and the Caribbean at 21pc.
JustCover provides added flexibility for travel plans affected by the region over the last two weeks.
The survey explores changes to longer-term travel plans amid conflict and uncertainty in the Middle East.
Peter Clark shared “Our thoughts at this moment are with those families with loved ones stuck in the Middle East and we strongly recommend anyone with booked travel plans to check the latest Department of Foreign Affairs travel advice for their destination and stop-overs before they travel. Looking beyond the serious and immediate travel challenges, there is also a longer-term consideration for Irish people that were planning or have booked a holiday for later in the year – to South east Asia, Japan or Australia, which may have involved a stop-over in the Gulf for a connecting flight. There are probably a lot of people right now thinking about their Easter or Summer holiday and whether they will re-book, re-plan their flight through a different route, cancel, or consider alternative holiday destinations.”
