Southeast Asia Travel Operators Hit by Trip Cancellations and Delays
Photo Credit: Tourists in Old Town Night Market in Phuket, Thailand. Adobe Stock / pierrick
Skift Take
Bookings might bounce back in June. But if fuel costs keep climbing and wallets get tighter, the bigger worry is whether it will erode the spending power that makes Southeast Asians want to travel at all.
Nearly half of Southeast Asian travel businesses say their prospects in the second quarter of 2026 are worse than anticipated due to the Iran war.
The ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) and research firm Pear Anderson, surveyed 157 companies across Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, between March 8-18. Two-thirds of those surveyed are travel agents or outbound tour operators, the rest are inbound tour operators, destination management companies and accommodation providers.
Several major Middle Eastern airports, like Dubai International, Doha’s Hamad International, and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International, are vital connection points for travelers flying between Southeast Asia and Europe.
Airports in the Middle East handle roughly one-third of the estimated 125 million passengers traveling between Europe and Asia each year, according to The Nation Thailand.
Because these airports are s
