Impact mainly affects Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Bahrain; projection of international visitor spending in the region was US$207 billion this year
The , which this Saturday (March 28, 2026), caused huge losses for the tourism sector in the Middle East. The estimate is a loss of US$600 million (approximately R$3 billion) per day, according to a survey carried out by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). Here is the document (PDF – 3 MB).
The drop is due to 3 main factors:
- air traffic disruptions;
- drop in traveler confidence;
- reduced regional connectivity.
The impact mainly affects large hubs logistics, such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Bahrain, which together move around 526 thousand passengers per day.
The projection of international visitor spending for 2026 in the region was US$207 billion.
According to consultancy Cirium, from February 28 to March 12, more than 49,000 flights to or from the Middle East , posing a direct threat to the 5% of global international arrivals concentrated in the area.
The economic impact extends beyond the borders of the countries in conflict, as the Middle East accounts for 14% of the planet’s international transit traffic.
Blockage or insecurity in these axes creates a ripple effect on airlines, hotel chains and cruise services on a global scale.
1 MONTH OF WAR
The war between the USA, and completes 1 month this Saturday (28.mar.2026). The conflict has already left more than 3,000 people dead and has had effects that go beyond the military field, impacting global oil supplies and increasing the price of the commodity, international maritime traffic and critical infrastructure in the Middle East.
In total, the conflict resulted in around 37,000 victims, including dead and injured. Most of it is concentrated in Iranian territory, the target of the greatest intensity of attacks since the beginning of the offensive. In proportional terms, this means that almost 3 in 4 victims are in Iran – equivalent to 73% of the total.
The offensive mainly affected urban areas and civil infrastructure, increasing the humanitarian impact. It appears on the scale of destruction. Over the course of 1 month, more than 60,000 civil structures were affected, including 54,000 civil units, 6,800 commercial establishments and 241 health units.
