Following growing tension in the Middle East, cruise companies issued travel advice to passengers intending to cruise the region.
The statements came following the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's renewal of an alert regarding travel to the Middle East, unveiling that the security situation for Britons there could worsen “with little warning”. Tensions heightened after the death of the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on January 3, who was killed in Iraq by a US airstrike.
Many cruise shipping companies continue to operate in the region, leaving from homeports Abu Dhabi, Aqaba and Dubai. The travel advice covers popular destinations, relating to the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman.
Offering travellers advice, a spokesperson for ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents) said:
“ABTA recommends that travellers read the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice carefully for the destinations they are travelling to and familiarise themselves with and adhere to any restrictions that may apply within the travel advice."