Iran War: Tour Operators Suspend Multiple Itineraries in Middle East

The impact of the war in the Middle East on the tourism industry continues as several tour operators have announced cancellations of its services in Egypt, Jordan and surrounding regions.

The cancellations follow an updated Canadian government travel advisory on March 3 that, for the first time ever, totalled ten “avoid all travel” warnings in a single day. Among the lengthy list of countries with avoid all travel warnings are Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, and Kuwait.

Here’s what we have so far and we will update as new information develops.

TTC Tour Brands

TTC Tour Brands, which encompasses Trafalgar, Contiki, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold and Costsaver has suspended departures to Jordan across all brands.

“We are closely monitoring developments in the Middle East and continue to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members,” the company said in a statement to Travel Market Report Canada. “As a result of ongoing airspace disruption and out of an abundance of caution, we are suspending departures to Jordan across all tour brands through the end of March.   TTC Tour Brands is in contact with impacted guests and travel advisors who may be affected and is working to provide support and alternative arrangements as needed.”

G Adventures

G Adventures has suspended operations in Jordan, Egypt and Oman from 3 March up to and including 22 March 2026 due to persistent flight disruptions across the regions and elevated travel advisories which affect traveller insurance. The company is proactively contacting all affected travellers to advise them on their flexible rebooking options. 

“Any trips already operating on the ground in Jordan and Egypt will continue to run as scheduled and we are working with travellers to support them should they wish to cancel and depart early,” the company told Travel Market Report Canada.

“We are advising all travellers currently on the ground to register their presence with their respective embassies to receive official security updates as well as contacting their airline to verify the status of their onward flights.  The safety of our travellers is always our top priority and our local team is monitoring the situation closely should any adjustments to itineraries on the ground be necessary.”

Globus family of brands

The Globus family of brands — including Globus, Cosmos and Avalon Waterways — says that out of an abundance of caution and in alignment with guidance from global authorities and security partners, they have made the proactive decision to cancel March departures to Dubai, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan.

“The safety and well-being of our guests and team members is always our highest priority,” Steve Born, chief marketing officer for the Globus family of brands told Travel Market Report Canada. “Travellers and their travel advisors on affected departures are being contacted directly and personally. Guests will be offered flexible options, including the opportunity to rebook to a future departure or receive a full refund. 

We also recognize that broader travel delays and air disruptions may impact guests traveling to or from other regions, including Australia and New Zealand. Our on-the-ground teams and operations staff are actively supporting affected travellers and working to minimize inconvenience wherever possible.”

Intrepid Travel

A representative from Intrepid Travel told Travel Market Report that it has canceled all departures for trips to Egypt, Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia from March 4 up to and including March 31, 2026. Any customers or travel advisors who had bookings affected have been contacted with options for either a future travel credit or a refund.

Intrepid has approximately 200 travellers on the ground in affected countries, the majority of whom are in Egypt.

Collette

Collette has canceled all departures until June 2026 for four itineraries in the Middle East region as well as Egypt. These include Treasures of Egypt and Egypt & Jordan, and the Jordan Extension and Dubai Extension.

In a statement to Travel Market Report, Collette’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer said that Collette is working on bringing impacted travellers home:

“As always, our employees’ and travellers’ safety and security is our primary concern.  We currently have multiple groups traveling within Egypt, and our Crisis Management Team is working cross-departmentally to bring those travellers home.  For travellers and Groups that have not yet departed on these programs, they will be contacted with re-book and refund options for their tours.” 

*with files from Travel Market Report’s Dori Saltzman and Sarah Milner.