Iran war and high living costs fuelling last-minute holiday bookings, Tui says

Middle East conflict has cost Europe’s largest travel firm €60m so far, and timing of decisions over trips has shifted

Holidaymakers are waiting until the last minute to book their trips because of the continuing uncertainty caused by the war in Iran and the cost of living crisis, according to Tui, Europe’s largest travel company, which said the war had cost it €60m (£51m) so far.

In the weeks after the outbreak of the war at the end of February, Tui recorded a temporary drop-off in customers wanting to travel to Cyprus or Turkey, in what the company called a “volatile market”.