Iran war drives European holidaymakers towards South America

{"text":[[{"start":7.52,"text":"The head of South America’s biggest airline said Europeans were increasingly choosing the continent as a safer holiday destination as the war in Iran complicated travel to Asia."}],[{"start":18.64,"text":"Roberto Alvo, chief executive of Latam Airlines, said the operator had “absolutely” carried more Europeans since hostilities began in February, noting a rise in luxury hotel bookings and in the number of budget travellers."}],[{"start":32.905,"text":"“People are changing their destinations,” he said in an interview. “Demand between Europe and South America has been extremely strong.”"}],[{"start":40.16,"text":"South America was “far” away, he added, “and that’s a good thing, in that it’s isolated from this conflict”."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":46.24,"text":"The shutdown of the Gulf carriers following the outbreak of the war severed a major air route between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. About a third of journeys to and from Asia passed through Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha before the conflict, rising to nearly half for flights to Australia."}],[{"start":62.8,"text":"While Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, the Gulf’s flagship carriers, quickly reopened and are now offering full transfer services, passenger numbers going through the region have not fully returned to previous levels."}],[{"start":76.091,"text":"Latam Airlines carried 10 per cent more passengers between Europe and South America between March and September compared with the same period a year earlier."}],[{"start":84.48,"text":"The trend is visible across other airlines. Bookings from major European airports to South American countries, excluding Venezuela, rose 6.5 per cent in the first half of the year compared with the same period of 2025, according to data from OAG."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":99.84,"text":"Alvo said the increased number of tourists visiting South America was evident from the Peruvian capital Lima to Santiago in Chile and the beaches of north-east Brazil. Argentina and Ecuador have also had more visitors from Europe."}],[{"start":113.834,"text":"“The Europeans have always gone [to South America], but now it’s more and more active,” he said. “All the lodges and fine hotels are fully booked, and there’s a lot of investment being done.”"}],[{"start":124.417,"text":"The airline boss said South America had a chance to seize on the moment and replicate the success of tourist destinations such as Mexico."}],[{"start":131.36,"text":"“I think South America has the opportunity to become a location that becomes in the spotlight of people wanting to fly long-haul,” he said."}],[{"start":139.337,"text":"“Mexico’s done amazingly well in terms of bringing tourism in. The government of Mexico has had this policy of really selling Mexico to the world. Our countries have not done that, have not needed to do it, have understood that they can do it. Now they have to do it.”"}],[{"start":156.185,"text":"He added: “It’s not going to be automatic. We have to act. But I think that the demand is there.”"}],[{"start":165.2,"text":"The airline, which has about 400 aircraft, is starting to take on new long-range narrow-body aircraft, which will help connect its hubs in Peru, Chile, Colombia and Brazil to smaller destinations in the US or even Europe."}],[{"start":176.88,"text":"It is also due to receive new Embraer E2 planes, which will connect to other locations within South America, making it easier to travel across a continent that is almost twice the size of Europe."}],[{"start":192.24,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793089548_9802.mp3"}