New Zealand tops List of Londoners Safe Holiday Destinations for 2026

March 25, 2026

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New AllClear research on the impact of the Middle East conflict on Londoner holiday plans for the year ahead reveals consumer resilience over travel – but with a greater focus on safety

The percentage of London adults planning an overseas holiday this year (89%) is unchanged from the position two-months ago, although holidaymakers have their sights on a new list of safe countries to consider for the peak Easter and Summer holiday months, according to new data from AllClear Travel Insurance.

Following widespread concern over the safety of overseas travel since the outbreak of hostilities in the Gulf region – and the potentially long-term implications on travel disruption for the medium term – AllClear this week polled a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults on their travel plans for 2026 – and compared results to January 2026 – to establish a measure of sentiment swing since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.

Remarkably, confidence in overseas travel has not diminished over the last two-months. The percentage of Londoners planning an overseas holiday for 2026 holds firm at 89% – very similar to the figure in January 2026 (90%). Furthermore, there is no evidence that concerns over geo- political tensions have resulted in Londoners pushing back or delaying their holiday plans for 2026 – as there is little change on the position two-months ago. Across London, 24% of UK adults plan to holiday abroad in April, rising to a peak in July (25%) and August (28%).

Given the conflicts in the Gulf region and Ukraine, the AllClear data also asked UK holidaymakers which locations they regarded to be the safest places to visit on holiday this summer. Nationally, 92% of London respondents could identify holiday destinations they regarded to be safe. The far-flung home of Lord of the Rings, New Zealand, topped the list, followed by a retreat to the mountain safety of Switzerland. Canada, Japan, France and were also popular choices.

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London holiday maker views: The top 10 safest places to go on holiday

1	New Zealand	20%
2	Switzerland	19%
3	Canada	18%
4	Japan	17%
5	France	14%
6	Iceland	13%
7	Spain	12%
8	Ireland	11%
9	Portugal	11%
10	Sweden	10%

Following the military threat to Cyprus, the Mediterranean islands featured towards the bottom of the safe destinations list (Cyprus, 3%, and Malta, 7%), as did Turkey (4%).

In addition to overseas trips, some Londoners regarded Scotland (12%) and Wales (11%) to be safe choices for a family holiday this year.

These destination choices come at a time when more people cite safety as the most important factor when booking a holiday abroad. Compared to last year, the perceived importance of price – finding a holiday bargain – has fallen sharply from 56% to 41%, whereas the importance placed on being safe overseas has shot up from 25% to 36%. With safety front of mind for many, the relative importance of convenience has also fallen from 41% to 33% in the last year.

Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at AllClear Travel Insurance

comments:

“Following the outbreak of war in the Middle East – and the immediate focus on Britons getting home safely – the travel industry now also faces the prospect of longer-term disruption. Our own data suggests 29% of holidaymakers had travel plans for this year that would have involved a connecting flight or stop over in the Gulf region.”

“In uncertain times, our new tracking data helps us to understand the consumer mindset in terms of revised plans for overseas travel for the year ahead. There is an emphatic resilience in terms of Londoners still wanting to travel and not delaying or cancelling trips for the Easter and Summer peak periods. Set against this, there is clear evidence that the consumer mindset has changed. The perceived importance of safety when planning a holiday has shot up as the most important factor – and UK adults have a clear sense of the places where they think they will be safe this year. Linked into this ‘flight to safety,’ it is important that people also get the best possible travel insurance that meets their needs. Our research suggests that still only around a third of UK adults (34%) look for top quality cover before they head abroad, so there is a way to go for people’s decisions on travel insurance to fall into line with their overall priority to be safe abroad this year.”

For more information or to arrange interviews, contact elephant communications:

Guy Bellamy 077667 75216 guy@elephantcommunications.co.uk
Wayne Terence Dobb 078755 32644 wayne@elephantcommunications.co.uk

The research was conducted for AllClear by UK Omnibus Group among a nationally representative sample for 2,000 adults on between 14 and 16 March 2026.

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