In a seismic move, a block of Gulf states and other Arab countries have cut all ties with the nation of Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain, and Maldives severed their relationships. They accused the oil rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism. Through these diplomatic moves, have opened up one of the biggest political and trade rifts imaginable in the Arab world.

Following Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states are circling the wagons on Iran. This move seeks to isolate Qatar to force serious policy and leadership changes.

What does this mean for travel and tourism?

A note from geopolitical analysts Eurasia Group, stated, “The crisis will undermine the Qatari economy, increase inflation, raise the risk of a credit ratings downgrade, curtail regional banking activity, and damage Qatar Airways’ commercial prospects.”

Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Etihad Airways and Dubai’s Emirates Airline and Flydubai have cut all flights to and from Doha from Tuesday morning until further notice. Qatar Airways has posted on its website it had suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia.

The airlines are saying little publicly. At a deeper level, this means that Qatar Airways will no longer be able to fly to Europe and the U.S. through Saudi and Egyptian airspace.

(izvor:skift.com)