UK relaxes travel advice for UAE and some other Gulf states after U.S.-Iran deal

Britain has lifted travel warnings for non-essential travel to the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait, citing a US-Iran interim agreement, but warns of unpredictable attacks.

Britain on Thursday said it was no longer advising against non-essential travel to some ‌Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, after the United States and Iran reached an interim agreementthis week to end their war.

In late February ‌and early March Britain had issued warnings against non-essential travel to ‌the region after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran and Iran then fired missiles at Gulf states. The conflict has impacted global travel to the region, which is both ⁠a busy ​destination and transit ⁠hub, for months.

In its updated travel advice, the British foreign office noted the U.S.-Iran ⁠deal, but added that the situation remained unpredictable and that "attacks could resume at short ​notice". London-based ABTA, which represents travel agents and tour operators, described the change ⁠as the most important development for tourism to and through the Middle East in ⁠some time.

"People ​have been delaying booking their summer holiday because they wanted to see what happened with the conflict in the Middle East, and that ⁠the government travel advice is an important factor in confidence to travel," ABTA ⁠boss Mark Tanzer said ⁠in a statement. "While we're not out of the woods yet, hopefully this change will open up the market ‌more broadly."