Middle East Conflict Drives Up Airfare, Industry Players: Short-Haul and Regional Travel Become Trend
The Middle East conflict has pushed up fuel prices, changing traveler consumption habits. Industry players indicate that with higher airfares and unstable flights, short-haul, short-duration, and flexible travel is becoming a trend, potentially benefiting intra-Asia regional travel.
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- 📰 Published: May 6, 2026 at 20:54
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Li Tsung-hsien, Bangkok, 6th) The Middle East conflict has pushed up fuel prices, gradually changing traveler consumption habits. Travel industry players and analysts point out that with higher airfares and unstable flights, travelers are tending to choose shorter-distance, shorter-duration, and flexible travel itineraries. In addition, demand for intra-Asia regional travel may benefit as a result.
The Middle East conflict has triggered a global energy crisis, with a significant rise in aviation fuel prices, making airfares more expensive. Travel industry players and insiders observe that the increased cost of long-haul travel is gradually changing people's travel patterns.
Charles Wong, Vice President of Commercial at Traveloka, a well-known Southeast Asian travel platform, stated in an exclusive interview with Central News Agency that in addition to price, tourists now also place more importance on travel safety and itinerary stability.
He pointed out that Asian travelers who originally planned long-haul trips to markets like Europe might shift to Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China due to unstable flights, adding, "Travelers will start to think whether this trip is worth spending so much money."
Charles believes that Thailand may benefit from the change in traveler habits. He explained that as a travel destination, Thailand is geographically convenient and relatively close for Southeast Asian travelers, with convenient transportation, thus potentially making it more popular than neighboring countries.
Ross Veitch, co-founder and CEO of Wego, the largest travel search engine in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, also offered similar observations.
He told Central News Agency that with high aviation fuel prices, some consumers might replace overseas travel with domestic travel, citing Taiwan travelers who might choose to travel domestically by train or car instead of flying abroad.
Veitch added that if the Middle East conflict continues to drag on and energy issues further affect the Asian economy and consumer confidence, travel demand might face more significant pressure.
Robin Gilbert-Jones, a senior analyst at the US travel website Skift, pointed out that the Middle East conflict might accelerate existing travel trends, including an increase in independent travel, travelers deciding on itineraries later, and a decrease in large tour groups.
He believes that Asian countries might be more proactive in promoting regional and domestic travel in the future, and travelers will also be more inclined to visit neighboring countries.
In fact, a similar trend emerged during the recently concluded Songkran festival in Thailand. The Nation reported in early April that Thai people were more inclined to celebrate locally during this year's Songkran, rather than traveling across provinces, indicating that rising fuel and travel costs have begun to affect consumer travel habits.
Gilbert-Jones added that the impact is regional. For example, travel within the Asian region is relatively less affected, which is very different from the situation during the COVID-19 (2019 coronavirus disease) pandemic when countries worldwide closed their borders.
Gilbert-Jones, who closely monitors the travel industry, remains confident in Asian tourism, emphasizing that the global travel market has not stagnated due to the Middle East crisis but has reoriented itself, stating, "Compared to the Middle East market, Asian tourism, on the whole, will still thrive." (Edited by Tien Jui-hua) 1150506
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Li Tsung-hsien, Bangkok, 6th) The Middle East conflict has pushed up fuel prices, gradually changing traveler consumption habits. Travel industry players and analysts point out that with higher airfares and unstable flights, travelers are tending to choose shorter-distance, shorter-duration, and flexible travel itineraries. In addition, demand for intra-Asia regional travel may benefit as a result.
The Middle East conflict has triggered a global energy crisis, with a significant rise in aviation fuel prices, making airfares more expensive. Travel industry players and insiders observe that the increased cost of long-haul travel is gradually changing people's travel patterns.
Charles Wong, Vice President of Commercial at Traveloka, a well-known Southeast Asian travel platform, stated in an exclusive interview with Central News Agency that in addition to price, tourists now also place more importance on travel safety and itinerary stability.
He pointed out that Asian travelers who originally planned long-haul trips to markets like Europe might shift to Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China due to unstable flights, adding, "Travelers will start to think whether this trip is worth spending so much money."
Charles believes that Thailand may benefit from the change in traveler habits. He explained that as a travel destination, Thailand is geographically convenient and relatively close for Southeast Asian travelers, with convenient transportation, thus potentially making it more popular than neighboring countries.
Ross Veitch, co-founder and CEO of Wego, the largest travel search engine in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, also offered similar observations.
He told Central News Agency that with high aviation fuel prices, some consumers might replace overseas travel with domestic travel, citing Taiwan travelers who might choose to travel domestically by train or car instead of flying abroad.
Veitch added that if the Middle East conflict continues to drag on and energy issues further affect the Asian economy and consumer confidence, travel demand might face more significant pressure.
Robin Gilbert-Jones, a senior analyst at the US travel website Skift, pointed out that the Middle East conflict might accelerate existing travel trends, including an increase in independent travel, travelers deciding on itineraries later, and a decrease in large tour groups.
He believes that Asian countries might be more proactive in promoting regional and domestic travel in the future, and travelers will also be more inclined to visit neighboring countries.
In fact, a similar trend emerged during the recently concluded Songkran festival in Thailand. The Nation reported in early April that Thai people were more inclined to celebrate locally during this year's Songkran, rather than traveling across provinces, indicating that rising fuel and travel costs have begun to affect consumer travel habits.
Gilbert-Jones added that the impact is regional. For example, travel within the Asian region is relatively less affected, which is very different from the situation during the COVID-19 (2019 coronavirus disease) pandemic when countries worldwide closed their borders.
Gilbert-Jones, who closely monitors the travel industry, remains confident in Asian tourism, emphasizing that the global travel market has not stagnated due to the Middle East crisis but has reoriented itself, stating, "Compared to the Middle East market, Asian tourism, on the whole, will still thrive." (Edited by Tien Jui-hua) 1150506
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.