Dubai, a destination commonly associated with luxury and crowds during the holiday season, is going through an unusually quiet period. Instead of tourists who used to fill hotels and malls, tourism authorities and operators are now facing waves of cancellations and significant drops in demand, according to observatornews.ro.
“Life goes on here, but Dubai is very quiet. The streets that used to be clogged with traffic are now empty.” Azadeh Moshiri told the BBC.
In luxury hotels, the situation has changed radically: the phones no longer ring for reservations, but for cancellations. In order to attract customers, some establishments have even reduced their rates by up to 70%. In areas such as Dubai Marina, a night’s accommodation has gone from around 150 euros to 50 euros.
In parallel, the airline industry and tourism are reporting significant drops in demand, changed routes and suspended flights. From Bucharest, for example, one of the airlines operating the route to Dubai has stopped flights until autumn, while ticket prices remain high, around 700 euros round trip.
In the malls, the atmosphere is described by visitors as unusually quiet for a destination known for congestion. In contrast, optimistic images continue to appear on social media, with influencers portraying the city as active and busy. “I love this view! Look… sunny Dubai. What could be more beautiful? It’s a little windy, but perfect for a walk”they say.
At the same time, international media claim that the Emirati authorities are trying to control the narrative in the public space, with reports that some content creators have been detained after claiming that the city would be much emptier than usual.
Holiday destinations to avoid in 2026
Both the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German authorities point out that “the list of countries with security problems is more extensive than in previous years”. There are currently severe warnings for at least 26 states, where tourists are advised “not to travel at all, due to major risks to personal safety”, according to the publication Ruhr24.
In this context, even extremely popular destinations among tourists, such as Dubai or Abu Dhabi, “they are good to avoid”.
The list of countries with full warnings includes: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belarus, Haiti, Iraq, Iran, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and the Central African Republic.
In some cases, the warnings are only partial. For example, in Egypt, Red Sea resorts such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh remain generally accessible, but other regions of the country are considered dangerous and should be avoided.
