Now, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Haiti, Yemen, Venezuela, Mali, South Sudan, Myanmar, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, North Korea, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Iran Face ‘Do Not Travel’ Alert, Shaking Global Tourism- Here’s What You Must Know

Sunday, July 20, 2025

So when on July 20, 2025, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a “do not travel” warning for 31 countries, it caused immediate ripples throughout the entire global tourism ecosystem. Aimed at protecting citizens as geopolitical, health and security threats grow, the guidance has had ripple effects for travelers, tourism operators and entire national economies across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. What had been a list buried in a policy document has the power to stop holidays, terminate business trips, and cripple small tourism businesses around the world.

Family Vacations on Hold and Bookings Rewritten

The timing of the announcement couldn’t have been worse, with travel season in full swing. Based on statistics from the UK Department for Transport, almost 35% of departing UK travellers in 2024 made overseas journeys in July–August. That had families scrambling to cancel last-minute, reroute plans or abandon travel altogether.

Favourite European and long-haul destinations including India, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Canada – which were already popular with British families – are among those experiencing a spike in redirected interest. But along with that surge may come the risk of supply strain — hotels at capacity, rental cars in short supply, itineraries rejiggered. Local moving companies, tour operators, restaurants and other businesses in the affected destinations are left trying to figure out how to survive a sudden loss of high-spending tourists, with seasonal revenue plummeting and long-term economic challenges to wrestle into submission.

Economic Fallout in Already Vulnerable Destinations

And for many of those countries cited by the Foreign Office, tourism isn’t so much a luxury as a lifeline. Countries like Haiti, where tourism is estimated to account for 2–3% of gross domestic product, or Yemen, where pockets of hope for local economies were once held by coastal tourism, now find themselves standing on bleaker ground, where global exchange has been further teased away.

Countries that had already been working to recover fragile tourism infrastructure — Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, etc. — see their work unravel. Even in countries with more complex risk zones, like Myanmar, Pakistan and Iraq, blanket fallout is apparent. Local guides, mom-and-pop lodging, transportation and foodie hosts all take the financial hit right now when dreams are ground into the reality of calling off foreign travels.

Elsewhere in the developing world, including Nigeria and Venezuela, more ambitious tourism packages will now be in an awkward state of limbo — some linked to cultural diplomacy or international charity. Future tourist infrastructure projects, visa liberalization deals, and joint tourism initiatives are being put on ice or their budgets are being slashed as travel concerns continue to rise.

From the Archives: Travel Advisories That Shifted the Map

The UK Foreign Office, in cooperation with the Department for Transport, frequently updates its travel advice using changing risks as a guide. Previous advisories — during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and periods of political unrest in Egypt and Tunisia — provide clear comparisons.” In these instances, arrivals of inbound tourism fell by 50-70% within weeks, with a typical recovery period of many years.

There are indications from current government predictions that even those countries left off the advisory, such as Morocco, Cyprus and Croatia, could also now receive an influx of visitors. But also along with that increase is pressure — accommodation costs are increasing, infrastructure is being strained, and the fear of overtourism is returning, especially with towns ill-equipped to handle off-season spikes.

Security, Insurance, and the Diplomatic Dilemma

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has repeated for Flyer booking a holiday to a “do not travel” country is like going to a country where you have no protection, no matter what personal arrangements may have been made or the good intentions of the individual traveler.

This caution has led insurers, who are regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority, to limit cover, increase the cost of cover or exclude certain destinations completely. Even bordering countries with partial advisories or shaky border areas could be affected, adding up to a travel landscape more complicated and risk-prone than in previous years.

Other Ways and a Different Tourism Geography

In the wake of the advisories, UK travel agencies are rewriting their summer brochures to concentrate on destinations they consider low-risk and logistically reliable. Other countries provide safety thanks to the good fortune of being shaped and protected by nature, and that afford their citizens strong public systems. Canada, New Zealand and Australia all remain popular with long-haul families seeking strong healthcare systems and public safety.

Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal, Greece and Croatia are becoming more popular because of their coastal appeal and family-friendly amenities. Safari locations in Kenya and Tanzania and South Africa are also experiencing a resurgence of interest, especially in experiential travel fusing culture and natural beauty.

But the mass redirection of tourism is causing supply shortages, price hikes and the exhaustion of local resources — particularly in smaller destinations unaccustomed to large throngs of travelers arriving all at once in the peak season.

The Human Impact: Jobs Gone and Hopes Dashed

Behind the travel headlines are human stories — hotel managers, trekking guides, tour coordinators, artisans and farmers who depend on tourism spending to survive. In Nepal, for instance, trekking tours experienced a 40% decrease in bookings when previous advisories were issued due to unrest in the region. That meant a 25% decrease in jobs in the adventure tourism industry, concentrated on lower-income families.

Full recovery took more than 18 months, Nepal Tourism Board officials reported, highlighting the longer-term socioeconomic cost such warnings can exact. For communities already dealing with inflation, food insecurity or conflict, a tourism collapse could bring not just job loss but migration, displacement and systemic instability.

To come: What policy now owes us

As governments and international tourism bodies react to the shakeup, a few priorities are starting to come into focus:

Market Diversification: Lessen reliance on one source country or one season.

Insert Cities: Handle redirected demand in destinations that can absorb it.

Enhance Traveller Education: Share with travelers the instruments to better understand localised riks and alternatives.

Be Tech-Savvy: Make your travelers are kept updated at all times through the use of mobile applications, embassy alerts and travel warnings.

Cooperation Bilateral: Enhance UNWTO relationships and insurance sharing to minimize economic impact during crises.

Final Thought: A New World Map for the Curious and Cautious

The U.K.’s latest travel warning did more than rewrite a policy document; it rewrote the very architecture of global travel. While British families seek out new places to visit, many locales previously on the cusp of thriving are instead braced for fresh bouts of isolation and uncertainty.

Yet in the challenges are deeper truths: Travel is not merely about seeing new places, but about funneling money to real people and their local economies. Wherever those threads come loose, the ripple effect touches every corner of the tourism chain — from city centers to isolated mountain villages.

Whether this moment results in better planning, more ethical travel and more varied experiences — or a new caution and conservatism — will depend on how the global tourism industry, governments and travelers respond in the weeks and months ahead.