The Iran war and travel: How consumer sentiment towards Dubai, Israel, Turkey, and the United States has been affected since the start of the conflict

The Iran war has had a large economic ripple effect on the UK. Fuel prices have risen, it has contributed to high levels of uncertainty, and – according to the International Monetary Fund – growth is projected to take a disproportionately large hit. According to YouGov data, one in three Britons say they have been personally impacted by the conflict so far.

Travel disruption has been among the more highly-discussed impacts of the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran. Flights have been cancelled, travellers have been stranded, and the prospect of jet fuel shortages is looming over the coming months. 

Data from YouGov DestinationIndex also highlights how public opinion towards four countries impacted by the conflict – Dubai, Turkey, the U.S., and Israel – has changed.

Buzz scores, a measure of whether consumers have heard anything positive or negative about a destination in the past two weeks, declined for all four destinations between February 28 (the beginning of the war) and April 15. Dubai, which has been subject to attacks since the beginning of the conflict, has seen these scores fall from -8.3 to -34.9: a decline of 26.6 points. Recent reports indicate that the city’s tourism industry has been dealt a serious blow by the ongoing conflict. 

Turkey has seen scores decline from 2.6 to -1.7 (-4.3). The U.S. and Israel, which began airstrikes against Iran on February 28, have also seen some deterioration: the former’s scores have plummeted 15 points (from -34.7 to -49.7), while the latter has seen scores crash 26 points from -21.9 to -47.9. seen scores crash 26 points from -21.9 to -47.9. 

But beyond hearing bad news, general opinion towards these destinations has taken a turn for the worse. Dubai’s Impression scores, which measure positive and negative sentiment towards a destination, have fallen from -16.5 to -27.8 (-10.3), while Turkey’s have declined from 4.2 to -2 (-6.2). The U.S. has seen a decline from -25.7 to -31.9 (-6.2), while Israel’s scores have fallen 15.4 points from -29.8 to -45.2.

Whether sentiment improves in time for the summer travel season, or falls even further, may depend on how the conflict in Iran progresses.

This article originally appeared in City A.M.