Do German holiday destinations benefit from the Iran war?

By euronews

Published on 26/05/2026 - 8:22 GMT+2

The start of the Iran war is likely to have left a lasting impression on German holidaymakers. Thousands of travellers were stranded in Dubai, worrying for days about their return flights. Connections between Asia and Europe were also affected. Before that, air strikes had begun in the confrontation between Iran and Hezbollah on the one side and the United States, Israel and their allies on the other. In March, Iranian projectiles landed next to a cruise ship in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. More than a few people probably wished at the time that they had spent their holidays at home.

Attacks could disrupt air traffic again in future as well. And the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has not only pushed up the price of oil. The availability of aviation fuel is being closely monitored. Flights could become more expensive, as could package holidays that have already been booked.

For German destinations, the federal government’s tourism commissioner sees this as a welcome opportunity:

“As severe as the impact of the Middle East crisis is for many sectors, it also opens up opportunities for tourism in Germany,” said CDU politician Christoph Ploß in an interview with newspapers of the Funke media group, according to spiegel.de. Particularly on the beaches of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, booking numbers are expected to rise and demand to be “even stronger than in previous years”.

Almost one in five has changed travel plans

The magazine reported online on a representative survey by billing service provider SAP Concur, published over the Pentecost weekend. In it, almost 20% of respondents said that because of the consequences of the Iran war they had themselves “cancelled or rebooked a flight, or had a cancellation from the airline”.

According to Ploß, tourism in Germany is to be promoted this year through various federal government initiatives, “for example by making working hours more flexible and by increasing investment in the motorway and rail networks.” The government regards the sector as an important pillar of the economy.

More overnight stays in Germany

According to the Federal Statistical Office (source in German), the tourism industry in Germany already set a new record in 2025. There were 497.5 million overnight stays by guests last year. Preliminary figures show that the number of overnight stays has risen by 0.3% compared with the previous record year of 2024.

In December alone, accommodation providers reported 32 million overnight stays, 3.6% more than in the same month a year earlier. It was therefore the highest figure ever recorded for a December.