Sebastian Ebel, the CEO of the travel company TUI, stressed that the tour operators did not pressure the German government to present the Gulf region as a safe travel destination before the conflict with Iran. “We would never imagine such a thing” Ebel told the news outlet Welt. “It is the responsibility of the Foreign Office. We have no influence there. If anyone suggests otherwise, that is malicious”.
He also denied any careless handling of the tense security situation in the Gulf. “There are official bodies that issue travel warnings, and that did not happen. All of our intelligence made it clear that such a reaction was not necessary” Ebel said. “The distance from Tehran to Dubai is about 700‑800 kilometres. The Foreign Ministry judged the area safe, and we followed their guidance”.
Ebel said that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s clarification that the responsibility for repatriating tourists lies with tour operators, not the government, was simply a matter of common sense. “It is our duty to bring back the package‑tour customers who booked through TUI. We don’t need anyone else to tell us that. We do it. Within our means we are also very well networked with local governments”.
Overall, Ebel worries about a drop in bookings for the Gulf region. “Even if the conflict eases quickly, which we all hope for, it will still take several months for things to return to normal. What we’re seeing is that customers quickly shift to other destinations”. He noted a “very strong shift to the Caribbean” in the past three days.
