- UK lifts UAE travel warning
- British bookings and enquiries rebound
- Aviation recovery is gradual
British tourists and business travellers are expected to play a leading role in the UAE’s recovery from the Iran conflict.
Industry executives are already reporting a rebound in enquiries and bookings after the UK government lifted its warning against all but essential travel to the Emirates.
The change in UK travel advice is one of the clearest signs that confidence in Dubai is returning, after more than three months of disruption that hit tourism, hospitality, aviation and investment activity across the Gulf.
“The change to travel advice is a significant step in resetting investor confidence for the region, encouraging business travellers and, of course, tourists,” said Katy Keenan, chief executive of the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai.
“We know from our member companies that the travel restrictions impacted talent acquisition and limited visits from UK-based business representatives essential for key projects across all sectors.”
Dubai attraction
The UK is one of Dubai’s most important visitor markets. British travellers accounted for more than 1 million visitors to Dubai in the first nine months of 2025, as reported by Gulf News, a 13 percent increase on the previous year. The emirate had a record 19.59 million overnight visitors during the year.
That momentum was interrupted when conflict broke out on February 28, triggering airspace closures across the region and prompting a number of governments, including the UK, to advise against non-essential travel.
Rohollah Rohparwar, co-founder and managing director of First Class Property Management, which looks after holiday homes in Dubai, said UK nationals represented 7,150 bookings and 24,500 guests across its portfolio in 2025.
“The British market is committed to Dubai as a destination,” Rohparwar said. “Longer stays, higher-value reservations, guests who come back season after season.”
He expects bookings from the UK to recover steadily during the final quarter of the year and return to, or exceed, pre-conflict levels by early 2027.
Shivani Sharma, founder of cloud kitchen Maison Gourmestan, forecast a 40 percent boost in revenues as a result of the updated travel advisory, but cautioned, “The sector will bounce back only in October, when Dubai will welcome leisure travellers and holiday-goers from cooler climates.”
Travel demand
Travel companies are also seeing signs of pent-up demand. “If peace holds, we expect to see the UAE in particular bounce back strongly, as well as for travel to onward destinations,” a spokesperson for UK-based Hays Travel said. “We know that our customers are keen to travel to Dubai.”
The relaxation of travel guidance means standard insurance policies are valid again, although travellers are urged to check whether coverage includes conflict or crisis add-ons. Emirates airline this week launched extensive travel insurance covering conflict-related disruption.
The carrier is currently operating a total 110 weekly flights from Dubai to UK. Gateways include London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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Linus Bauer, founder of BAA Aviation, said the UK decision is a “clear psychological turning point for Gulf aviation”, although he warned passenger numbers would only return gradually.
“Confidence can return quickly – but in aviation, trust and reliability still need time to rebuild,” he said.
British Airways has suspended flights to Dubai until October and Virgin Atlantic will not resume operations to the emirate until the winter of 2027.
On Wednesday Australia announced its travel advice for the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar had been lowered from Level 4 “Do not travel” to Level 3 “Reconsider your need to travel”.