Ottawa Reverses Course, Raises Risk Level for Middle East Travel
The all-clear was premature. Canada has issued new travel advisories for Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, following an escalation of hostilities between the US and Iran.
Just as the travel industry began to exhale, a fresh wave of advisories has swept across the Gulf. Global Affairs Canada has reversed course and advised Canadians to avoid non-essentialtravelto Jordan, where at least two US service members were killed in a drone strike on Saturday, noting that the US State Department is specifically advising its citizens to “refrain from travel to the international airport and seaport in Aqaba. ”Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have also been reassessedat level three or orange risk level, with Ottawa warning Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to those countries. The UK has upgraded its travel advisories for the region as well, advising citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to the region,It's an abrupt turnaround given Canada downgraded its advisories for Gulf states just three weeks ago, after the US and Iran entered a peace deal, giving advisors the feeling that travel to the region might stabilize for the first time in months. However,drone andmissile attackshave ramped up since US President Donald Trump said the deal was “over” two weeks ago. In an effort to draw travellers back to the region, Etihad and Emirates began offering free medicaltravel insuranceto customers flying into the area last month. Civilian infrastructure in the region is increasingly being targeted with military action. Dubai's Palm Jumeirah International Airport was hit by a drone in March, leading to three deaths, while Kuwait International Airport was damaged by a drone strike in June. Kuwait, which is also under an orange travel advisory, has now closed its airspace, following drone strikes on two power and water desalination plants. Power and desalination plants have also been hit in Iran in recent days and Global Affairs Canada recommends against any and all travel to the region.