Local agency WWPKG and several peers have suspended all outbound tour groups to the Middle East through at least 10 March, citing client safety after Iran’s escalation of regional hostilities. Twenty Hong Kong travellers on two WWPKG tours remain in Dubai but are now free to leave their hotels after a city-wide shelter-in-place advisory was lifted on 3 March.
Wing On Travel confirmed that 22 of its customers are also stranded but declined to say whether Easter-holiday departures will be cancelled. Executives tell RTHK they are negotiating with airlines for fee-free date changes and are offering travellers the option to switch to Southeast-Asian itineraries at no extra cost.
The pause delivers a blow to Hong Kong’s gradually recovering outbound-package market, which had seen demand rebound to 88 per cent of 2019 levels in the first two months of the year. The Middle East—led by Dubai desert-safari and Saudi heritage circuits—was one of the fastest-growing segments, accounting for nearly 9 per cent of agency revenue.
![Hong Kong tour operators halt Middle-East packages until 10 March amid security concerns]()
Corporate incentive-trip planners should anticipate higher prices and limited lift capacity once tours resume, as carriers clear the current backlog. The Travel Industry Council is advising agencies to diversify risk by splitting large groups across multiple flights and by purchasing “cancel-for-any-reason” group insurance that covers geopolitical events.
For travellers and planners now scrambling to rebook itineraries, online visa specialist VisaHQ can fast-track the documentation required for more than 200 destinations. Its Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers live updates on entry rules and a corporate dashboard that streamlines bulk applications—an invaluable service when sudden geopolitical shifts force last-minute itinerary changes.
From a policy angle, suspension decisions remain voluntary; the Hong Kong government has not issued an outright ban. However, should the Security Bureau escalate its Outbound Travel Alert for the UAE or Saudi Arabia to ‘red’, group-tour operations would be effectively barred, and force-majeure clauses in contracts would be triggered—something mobility professionals organising conferences in Dubai should monitor closely.
Wing On Travel confirmed that 22 of its customers are also stranded but declined to say whether Easter-holiday departures will be cancelled. Executives tell RTHK they are negotiating with airlines for fee-free date changes and are offering travellers the option to switch to Southeast-Asian itineraries at no extra cost.
The pause delivers a blow to Hong Kong’s gradually recovering outbound-package market, which had seen demand rebound to 88 per cent of 2019 levels in the first two months of the year. The Middle East—led by Dubai desert-safari and Saudi heritage circuits—was one of the fastest-growing segments, accounting for nearly 9 per cent of agency revenue.
Corporate incentive-trip planners should anticipate higher prices and limited lift capacity once tours resume, as carriers clear the current backlog. The Travel Industry Council is advising agencies to diversify risk by splitting large groups across multiple flights and by purchasing “cancel-for-any-reason” group insurance that covers geopolitical events.
For travellers and planners now scrambling to rebook itineraries, online visa specialist VisaHQ can fast-track the documentation required for more than 200 destinations. Its Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers live updates on entry rules and a corporate dashboard that streamlines bulk applications—an invaluable service when sudden geopolitical shifts force last-minute itinerary changes.
From a policy angle, suspension decisions remain voluntary; the Hong Kong government has not issued an outright ban. However, should the Security Bureau escalate its Outbound Travel Alert for the UAE or Saudi Arabia to ‘red’, group-tour operations would be effectively barred, and force-majeure clauses in contracts would be triggered—something mobility professionals organising conferences in Dubai should monitor closely.
