DUBAI,— Vacation rental cancellations in the United Arab Emirates more than doubled on Saturday after fighting broke out involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, AirDNA reported.
Data from the firm showed that on February 28, 2026, holiday rental cancellations surged to 8,450 units, compared with an average of around 3,100 per day during the rest of the month.
The cancellation rate, which measures canceled nights as a percentage of total booked nights, rose to 43.8% on that day. For the remainder of February, the average was 14.5%.
AirDNA said most of the cancellations affected stays planned for March.
The surge in cancellations follows rising tensions that led to airspace closures in the UAE and disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport, two of the world’s busiest hubs.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai were among Gulf cities targeted by Iranian retaliatory strikes, which caused explosions to be heard for at least three days.
Dubai’s airport has reopened with limited flights, mostly aimed at helping stranded travelers return home, AirDNA added.
(With files from Reuters)
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