Summer travel plans disrupted due to regional unrest
As tensions in the region escalate, travel plans are being revisited. Iran has been a popular destination for medical and leisure tourism, as northern Iran is known for its exceptional weather during the summer. However, tourists who went for Eid holidays are now rushing to find ways to return. The route back will likely be by road or sea.
Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, reiterated the round-the-clock efforts to facilitate the evacuation of Omani citizens wishing to return to their homeland.
He noted that the Foreign Ministry has allocated direct contact numbers in Muscat and Tehran based on the geographical distribution of citizens, in addition to the possibility of communicating via the ministry's app and other social media tools.
The ministry urged all Omani citizens who are currently in Shiraz and nearby areas to gather at specified locations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, namely assembly points in Shiraz and Bandar Abbas to facilitate procedures to ensure everyone's safety and return to Oman.
"My parents are still in Iran. They have been there since the Eid holidays. They have already been contacted by the ministry, but they are in Mashhad, Iran, which is up north. We are not sure when they will be able to plan their journey back," said a concerned daughter.
Some citizens conveyed through social media that they are still stuck in Baku, Azerbaijan. The summer holidays have begun for some sections of the school students, and amidst summer holiday planning comes the current situation in the region that has prompted airspace closures, resulting in the cancellation of some popular destinations for Omani tourists.
Issa al Harthy, Sunny Island Travel and Tours, told the Observer: "Once the current conflict is over, the situation will return to normal, but there will be cancellations to the northern hemisphere and Central Asia."
"Many Omanis might not be in the mood to travel under the circumstances. People usually like to travel to Iran for medical treatment and for religious visits, but now that is not possible," he added.
When asked if there had been cancellations yet, he replied, "We have not sold many tickets to Central Asia; it is important to wait and see. Many Omanis also like to travel to the Far East and Africa. We have the optimism that after the dust has settled down, Omanis and residents will resume travelling. And we might see last-minute decisions to travel."
Nizam Aniyaram, B - One Travels, said, "We have had destination bookings to Central Asia, with Georgia being popular, but connecting flights have been cancelled. So our travellers have had to make changes. As of now, we think it is a temporary situation."
Salam Air had announced a temporary suspension of flights from/to Iran and Iraq. The destinations that have been impacted are Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Russia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
Airlines in the UAE have also mentioned that some other flights may face delays or rerouting. Passengers are advised to check the flight status of the respective airlines.
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