Israel launched a deadly attack on Lebanon this week as they attempt to eradicate the Hezbollah militant group in an escalation of their war with Hamas.

The bombing resulted in the deaths of at least 700 people and European nationals are now being evacuated from Lebanon.

The UK and EU governments continue to advise against all travel to Lebanon while UK and EU nationals are urged to leave while commercial options remain available.

Authorities also already warned against all but essential travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Travellers should also exercise caution when visiting some areas of neighbouring or nearby countries.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering a trip to Lebanon, Egypt or Jordan.

Lebanon, which lies to the north of Israel and shares a border, is now fully embroiled in the deepening Israel-Hamas conflict.

On 17 and 18 September 2024, thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies intended for use by Hezbollah exploded simultaneously across the country resulting in the deaths of 42 people, including at least 12 civilians.

Now, strikes that began on Monday have killed more than 700 people in the country.

The UK’s Foreign Office (FCDO) has now upgraded its guidelines for Lebanon, advising against all travel and urging Britons to leave the country.

It warns that there are ongoing mortar and artillery exchanges and airstrikes in Lebanon, primarily on the boundary with Israel but also in parts of the Beqaa Valley and some other locations north of the Litani river.

“Tensions are high and events could escalate with little warning, which could affect or limit exit routes out of Lebanon. In the event of deterioration in the political or security situation, commercial routes out of Lebanon could be severely disrupted or cancelled at short notice, and roads across the country could be closed,” the advice now says.

“The British embassy may be increasingly limited in the assistance that it can provide. If you are currently in Lebanon, you should leave now.”

The Australian, US and European governments including Ireland and France have also issued ‘no-go’ travel warnings for Lebanon.

Is it safe to travel to Egypt?

Although Egypt shares a border with Gaza and Israel, the country has not yet been drawn into the conflict.

However, there are several parts of the country that are considered risky for tourists.

In terms of international travel, Egypt’s borders remain open and airlines and package holiday operators are continuing as normal in the country.

Most of Egypt’s major cities and key tourist sites are located far away from the border with Israel and Gaza.

Beach resort Sharm el-Sheikh is the nearest, but it is still over two-and-a-half hours’ drive away from the closest border town and more than five hours away from the Gaza border.

Cairo, Alexandria, Hurghada and Luxor are located even further away.

However, the UK FCDO advises against all travel to some other parts of the country.

This includes within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border – except for the town of El Salloum, where it advises against all but essential travel – and the North Sinai Governorate.

The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the northern part of the South Sinai Governorate, beyond the St Catherine-Nuweibaa road, except for the coastal areas along the west and east of the peninsula.

Its advice is the same for the Ismailiyah Governorate east of the Suez Canal, the Hala’ib Triangle, the Bir Tawil Trapezoid and the area west of the Nile Valley and Nile Delta regions, except for:

• Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings

• the Faiyum Governorate

• the coastal areas between the Nile Delta and Marsa Matruh

• the Marsa Matruh-Siwa road

• the oasis town of Siwa

• the Giza Governorate north-east of the Bahariya Oasis

• the road between Giza and Farafra (but FCDO advises against all but essential travel on the road between Bahariya and Siwa)

• Bahariya Oasis, Farafra, the White Desert and Black Desert

Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has updated the security status for Egypt to ‘high degree of caution’.

It strongly advises against travel to the Governorate of North Sinai, which borders Israel and Gaza, including the Taba-Suez Road. It also warns against travel to Gaza via the Rafah border crossing.

The DFA advises arriving by air if travelling to Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and immediate surrounds and Marsa Alam and immediate surrounds, and tourist areas along the Nile river (such as Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel).

Is it safe to travel to Jordan?

Jordan shares a border with Israel and the West Bank (one of the Occupied Palestinian Territories) as well as with Syria.

The FCDO guidelines on travel to Jordan state that it “advises against all but essential travel to within 3km of Jordan’s border with Syria.”

It also warns that the risk of terrorism is high.

“Terrorism attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals, such as hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and tourist sites,” the advice reads.

Borders remain open and most tourist destinations in Jordan have been unaffected by the instability, but some flights to Amman and Aqaba airports have been affected.

Wizz Air has suspended all its flights to and from Jordan (and Israel) “due to the escalating situation in the region”.

Austrian Airlines and United have cancelled flights to Amman from Vienna and Washington DC respectively.

If you have a package holiday booked and choose to cancel, you are unlikely to receive a refund unless the destination is in one of the FCDO’s ‘no-go’ areas. Check online for the advice given by your government.

The Jordan Tourism Board previously released a statement emphasising that the country is a “safe and welcoming destination for tourists around the world.”

“Our commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all visitors remains unwavering,” the statement said.

“We want to reassure everyone that Jordan’s borders are open to tourists, and we are eager to share our extraordinary experiences with the world.”

In Georgia, where history is a roll call of conflicts, hello (‘Gamarjoba’) translates as ‘be victorious’.

Given the Caucasian country’s familiarity with invasions, it is a fitting host for this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD) theme of peace.

What is World Tourism Day?

Run by UN Tourism, today’s event will highlight the role tourism can play as a catalyst for fostering peace and understanding between nations. Government ministers and industry leaders are set to attend Freedom Square in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

“As we mark World Tourism Day this year our planet is ravaged by war and insecurity,” says Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN Tourism and a Georgian politician.

“Around one in four of the global population now lives in areas of conflict. Many of us have first-hand experience of the suffering caused by war and the impacts are felt far outside of warzones.”

Georgia’s own tourism sector has been through some seismic shifts in recent years. Previously a popular destination for Russian tourists, President Putin’s 2019 travel embargo hit Georgian tourism prior to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

But its star is on the rise with a growing number of international holiday-makers attracted to the vibrant city of Tbilisi, the country’s diverse geography and its famed cuisine.

Why is peace the theme of World Tourism Day 2024 and who is speaking?

“We must urgently stand up for peace,” says Pololikashvili, arguing that “the global tourism family” is uniquely well placed to do so.

“Ours is the most human sector. Every journey leads to a connection. Tourism brings the world together and closer. Tourism builds trust and respect.”

An estimated 285 million tourists travelled internationally in the beginning of 2024, according to UN Tourism figures.

The sector also creates 10 per cent of the world’s jobs – many of them held by young people – thereby reducing poverty and inequality and helping to lay the foundations for more peaceful conditions.

Held on 27 September every year since 1980, World Tourism Day comes at the end of the high season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the southern hemisphere.

Last year’s event, held in Riyadh, emphasised the need for better-targeted investments in the sector.

Today’s World Tourism Day takes place at Paragraph Freedom Square, a luxury hotel. Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze will address delegates, alongside Pololikashvili and Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb.

Tourism ministers from Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Bahrain, Cuba, Jamaica and Malaysia will also be speaking at peace-focused panel discussions throughout the day, before the handover to Malaysia – host of World Tourism Day 2025.

“Let us work together as a sector united to make tourism a beacon of hope and ensure that when peace does return to areas of conflict, we are ready to help people rebuild and connect,” adds Pololikashvili.

Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing on Thursday with a lavish ceremony, raising hopes for a boost to the city’s tourism.

An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival came after their new neighbour, Ying Ying, gave birth to twins last month and became the world’s oldest first-time panda mother on record.

With the addition of the new bears, the twins, and their father, Le Le, Hong Kong now houses six pandas.

Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said An An is a five-year-old male panda who is agile, intelligent and active, while Ke Ke, a five-year-old female, is good at climbing, cute and has a gentle temperament.

Hong Kong hopes pandas will boost visitor numbers

The new arrivals will undergo two months of quarantine and adapt to their new home at Ocean Park, a zoo and aquarium that has long been a favourite of residents and tourists. Lee expressed hope that the public could meet the new bears in mid-December.

In October, the government will invite residents to propose new names that showcase the pandas’ characteristics.

Tourism industry representatives are optimistic about the potential impact of housing six pandas, hoping it will boost visitor numbers in Hong Kong. Officials have encouraged businesses to capitalise on the popularity of the new bears and newborn cubs to seize opportunities in what some lawmakers have dubbed the “panda economy”.

China’s panda loan programme is a tool for diplomacy

Pandas are widely considered China’s unofficial national mascot. The country’s giant panda loan programme with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy. Giant pandas are only found in China’s southwest and their population is under threat from development.

But caring for pandas in captivity is expensive. A zoo in Finland agreed with Chinese authorities to return two loaned giant pandas to China more than eight years ahead of schedule because they were too costly for the facility to maintain amid declining visitors.

Hong Kong’s Ocean Park has been hosting pandas since 1999, when the first pair, An An and Jia Jia, arrived in the financial hub shortly after it was handed back to China.

Jia Jia, who died at 38 in 2016, is the world’s oldest-ever panda to have lived in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years, according to the Guinness World Records.