"Don't Worry About Middle East Travel Packages"... Travel Agencies Decide on Full Refunds

Travel Agencies Expand Measures with Full Refunds and Support for Accommodation Costs

As instability in the Middle East has disrupted operations at Dubai Airport, domestic travel agencies have announced that they will provide full refunds without cancellation fees for trips to or transiting through the Middle East. Dubai International Airport ranked as the world’s number one airport for international passengers last year and serves as a major transit hub for travelers between Europe and Africa.

As the United States and Israel attack Iran, worsening the situation in the Middle East, travelers and other passengers who visited the Middle East on the 5th are arriving through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2. 2026.3.5 Yonhap News Agency

According to the travel industry on March 8, Hanatour has decided to offer a 100% refund without cancellation fees for Middle East-bound packages scheduled to depart in March. For packages transiting through Dubai, the same full refund policy will apply at the customer's request. For customers who wish to proceed with their travel, the company will assist in finding alternative flights, and if no suitable flights are available, a refund will be provided.

Modetour has also decided to offer full refunds upon customer request not only for destinations within the Middle East, such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar, but also for packages that transit through the Middle East. Nol Universe has also established a policy to provide full refunds, upon customer request, for Middle East-bound or Middle East transit packages departing from this month.

Norang Poongsun and Yogiwootae Tour have decided not to charge cancellation fees for Middle East-bound or Middle East transit packages departing in March. Cham Joeun Travel has also announced that it will provide full refunds without any fees or penalties for packages to Dubai departing in March.

This measure is considered exceptional compared to standard cancellation policies for travel packages. According to current consumer dispute resolution standards, if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not issued a Level 3 (Travel Advisory) or higher travel alert for a region, contract termination due to mere concerns may result in penalties.

Currently, the whole of Iran and some regions in Israel are subject to a Level 4 (Travel Ban) or Level 3 alert, which allows cancellation without penalties. However, as of March 5, popular destinations for Korean travelers, such as Dubai (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, are mostly classified as ‘Special Travel Advisory (Level 2.5)’ zones.

Travelers returning from their visit to the Middle East are arriving at Incheon International Airport on March 5, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In response, the Korea Consumer Agency and the Korea Fair Trade Commission issued a consumer damage advisory regarding travel, airline, and accommodation products on March 5, urging consumers to have sufficient discussions with travel agencies before canceling contracts.

The reason behind the travel agencies' relaxed refund policies appears to be the airlines’ waiver of cancellation fees. This is because a significant portion of the cancellation costs for package tours stems from airline ticket cancellation fees.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.