New AllClear research on impact of the Middle East conflict on UK holiday plans for the year ahead reveals consumer resilience over travel – but with a greater focus on safety
The percentage of UK adults planning an overseas holiday this year (80%) is unchanged from the position two-months ago, although holidaymakers have their sights on a new list of safe countries to consider for the peak Easter and Summer holiday months, according to new data from AllClear Travel Insurance.
Following widespread concern over the safety of overseas travel since the outbreak of hostilities in the Gulf region – and the potentially long-term implications on travel disruption for the medium term – AllClear polled a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults on their travel plans for 2026 – and compared results to January 2026 – to establish a measure of sentiment swing since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
Remarkably, confidence in overseas travel has not diminished over the last two-months. The percentage of people planning an overseas holiday for 2026 holds firm at 80% – the same figure as January 2026 (80%). Furthermore, there is no evidence that concerns over geo-political tensions have resulted in people pushing back or delaying their holiday plans for 2026 – as there is little change on the position two-months ago. Nationally, 17% of UK adults plan to holiday abroad in April, rising to 19% in May and an August peak of 22% (see table in notes to editors).
Given the conflicts in the Gulf region and Ukraine, the AllClear data also asked UK holidaymakers which locations they regarded to be the safest places to visit on holiday this summer. Nationally, 92% of respondents could identify holiday destinations they regarded to be safe. The far-flung home of Lord of the Rings, New Zealand, topped the list, followed by an upturn in popularity for visiting Ireland – and a retreat to the mountain safety of Switzerland. Canada, Spain, Iceland and Italy were also popular choices.
UK holiday marker views: The top 10 safest places to go on holiday
|
1 |
New Zealand |
18% |
|
2 |
Ireland |
17% |
|
3 |
Switzerland |
17% |
|
4 |
Spain |
16% |
|
5 |
Canada |
15% |
|
6 |
Italy |
13% |
|
7 |
Portugal |
12% |
|
8 |
Iceland |
12% |
|
9 |
France |
11% |
|
10 |
Sweden |
11% |
Following the military threat to Cyprus, the Mediterranean islands featured towards the bottom of the safe destinations list (Cyprus, 3%, and Malta, 7% ), as did Turkey (7%).
In addition to overseas trips, one in five respondents (21%) regarded Scotland and Wales to be safe choices for a family holiday this year.
These destination choices come at a time when more people cite safety as the most important factor when booking a holiday abroad. Compared to last year, the perceived importance of price – finding a holiday bargain – has fallen sharply from 56% to 41%, whereas the importance placed on being safe overseas has shot up from 25% to 36%. With safety front of mind for many, the relative importance of convenience has also fallen from 41% to 33% in the last year.
Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at AllClear Travel Insurance comments: “Following the outbreak of war in the Middle East – and the immediate focus on Britons getting home safely – the travel industry now also faces the prospect of longer-term disruption. Our own data suggests 29% of holidaymakers had travel plans for this year that would have involved a connecting flight or stop over in the Gulf region.”
“In uncertain times, our new tracking data helps us to understand the consumer mindset in terms of revised plans for overseas travel for the year ahead. There is an emphatic resilience in terms of people still wanting to travel and not delaying or cancelling trips for the Easter and Summer peak periods. Set against this, there is clear evidence that the consumer mindset has changed. The perceived importance of safety when planning a holiday has shot up as the most important factor – and UK adults have a clear sense of the places where they think they will be safe this year. Linked into this ‘flight to safety,’ it is important that people also get the best possible travel insurance that meets their needs. Our research suggests that still only around a third of UK adults (34%) look for top quality cover before they head abroad, so there is a way to go for people’s decisions on travel insurance to fall into line with their overall priority to be safe abroad this year.”