New research from money.com.au has shown that nearly half (48%) of those with a planned overseas trip have changed, delayed or cancelled their plans since the conflict began.
This includes 25% who’ve delayed an upcoming trip, 12% who have cancelled their travel plans altogether and 11% who have changed their destination, flight route or layover.
The remaining 52% of Australian travellers say they will go ahead with their travel plans this year.
Among those affected travellers, 46% had planned to travel through the Middle East (either as a destination or transit point), while 54% didn’t.
The Smartraveller website has a ‘Do not travel’ warning in place for large parts of the Middle East, including popular transit hubs in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The travel warning applies even if travellers would not be leaving the airport in an affected location.
Sean Callery, Money.com.au’s Finance Expert, says global events that disrupt travel plans often leave Australians out of pocket.
“In times like this, it’s important to follow official government advice and make informed decisions based on the latest travel updates,” he says.
“The conflict is impacting popular flight routes, increasing travel costs and raising security concerns.
“As a result, many Australians are changing their overseas travel plans – particularly those who had planned to pass through the Middle East as a destination or transit point.”
The research found that younger Australians are the most likely to have changed their travel plans since the Middle East conflict began.
Around 61% of Gen Z say they have changed, delayed or cancelled an upcoming overseas trip – higher than Millennials (57%), Gen X (43%) and Baby Boomers (36%).
Older Australians are more likely to stick to their original plans, with 64% of Baby Boomers and 57% of Gen X reporting no change to travel plans since the conflict began, compared to 43% of Millennials and 39% of Gen Z.
Only 31% of Gen X and Baby Boomers had planned to travel through the region, compared to 61% of Gen Z and 55% of Millennials.
“While travel insurance generally excludes claims arising from war, civil unrest or military action, travellers should still contact their airline, accommodation provider and tour operators to see if they may be eligible for a full or partial refund, credit or free rebooking,” added Mr Callery.
“The earlier you get in touch, the more options you’re likely to have to recoup some costs.”
