Iran war threatens global travel industry as passengers get stuck

Zoey Gong, a Chinese medicine food therapist, was days away from boarding an Emirates flight from Paris to Shanghai via Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran last Saturday.

Gong, 30, had her flight plans derailed as a result, and she told CNBC that she had to pay $1,600 to get to Shanghai, more than double the price of her original ticket.

She’s one of millions of travelers swept up in war and other conflicts from Iran to Mexico this year, problems that are threatening the global tourism industry that’s worth an estimated $11.7 trillion to the world’s economy, according to industry group World Travel & Tourism Council. It’s showing that people who are far from falling missiles, drone attacks and other geopolitical flashpoints aren’t immune to ripple effects.

More than a million people around the world were stranded because of airspace closures that have grounded over 20,000 flights since Saturday, according to aviation data firm Cirium. Some were also stuck on cruise ships. Inquiries for more expensive “cancel for any reason” travel insurance policies surged 18-fold this week, said Chrissy Valdez, senior director of operations for Squaremouth, an online insurance marketplace.

Since the Feb. 28 attacks on Iran, that country has launched retaliatory strikes on the United Arab Emirates — home to Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic, according to Airports Council International — as well as Qatar, Jordan, Israel and Cyprus. The back-and-forth attacks have left airlines with little recourse to repatriate travelers.

Days after the attack, the U.S. State Department told citizens in a large part of the region to leave immediately, with few options at hand. The department said it is organizing charter flights for U.S. citizens who want to return from Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Qatar.

“This has spiraled into an aviation quagmire,” said Henry Harteveldt, a former airline executive and founder of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group.

Other sectors of the travel industry are also dealing with the war’s impact. Debris rained down near Accor‘s Fairmont The Palm Hotel in Dubai over the weekend. The company said four people were injured, but none were guests, visitors, or staff. Meanwhile, the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel had a fire earlier this week after it was hit by debris from an Iranian drone.

MSC Cruises’ more than 6,300-passenger MSC Euribia ship has been stranded in Dubai and the company is…