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What began as dream holidays have turned into tense nightmares.
Travellers in Dubai, Doha and other tourist hotspots in the Middle East have been sheltering inside their accommodation amid the escalation of the regional conflict, as authorities advise people to stay indoors.
Over the last few days, many have taken to social media to share how their trips have taken unexpected and terrifying turns, from nearby explosions to evacuations.
Dubai has long been marketed as a safe, stable oasis in a troubled region, so the situation has left tourists and residents shaken.
With airports and airspaces closed, visitors remain in travel limbo with no idea when they might return home.
‘Opposite my hotel a building was bombed’
Across the Middle East, authorities are urging residents and visitors to remain indoors and keep away from windows, doors and open areas.
From inside their hotels, tourists in Dubai and Doha have witnessed missiles and drones passing overhead.
In Dubai, the five-star Fairmont The Palm hotel was set on fire after debris fell from the sky during an Iranian missile attack on Saturday.
Dubai’s and Abu Dhabi’s airports were struck by drone debris on Saturday, killing one person and injuring about a dozen others, according to local authorities.
Sim J Evans, a British bodybuilding champion, posted from Dubai on Sunday as she awaited news of her flight to New York.
“In the past day and a half, we’ve witnessed something surreal – buildings trembling from intercepted drones, distant explosions shaking glass,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Despite the ongoing tensions in the surrounding region, these kinds of incidents have been rare in Dubai.
“This is Dubai’s ultimate nightmare, as its very essence depended on being a safe oasis in a troubled region,” Cinzia Bianco, an expert on the Persian Gulf at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on X.
“There might be a way to be resilient, but there is no going back.”
Many tourists shared how unexpected the developments have been.
“One minute I’m sending my mum videos of clothes in Dubai… then the next minute I’m sending distressing videos trying to communicate with my family because opposite my hotel a building was bombed,” Australian travel creator Isabella-Rae Banda shared on Instagram.
Denise Curran from Northern Ireland has been holidaying in the emirate with her family. On Sunday, she says they tried to go out for something to eat but were told to return to their hotel.
“I’m actually trying to smile and pretend everything is ok in front of my children… but I am terrified,” she posted on social media. “Everywhere is closed and the loud noises keep coming.”
‘No one’s telling us anything’
Airspaces are closed and operations suspended at airports across the Gulf for a third day, affecting hundreds of thousands of travellers.
It has left many holidaymakers in limbo, unsure when they may be able to get home.
Some say they have struggled to get in contact with or advice from embassies and airlines.
An Italian couple in Dubai shared their experience online. “We’re on vacation with friends, we’re trying to contact the Italian embassy, but no one’s telling us anything,” they said.
Ollie Naughton from Nottingham wrote from Dubai: “The communication from Emirates has been really poor, they’ve not said anything regarding staying in our hotel, anything to do with fees with food or what the plan is to get us out.”
Stranded visitors in the UAE have been told their hotel stays and meals will be covered if their flight has been cancelled.
Qatar Airways and Doha’s Hamad International Airport have reportedly been distributing food coupons to waiting passengers.
Traveller Ershad Kaleebullah said that rooms had been arranged at five-star hotels across Doha for passengers, “with breakfast, lunch and dinner all taken care of”.
“We have assurance that stay and food will be taken care of [while] the airspace [remains] shut,” he added in his post on X.
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