"There's No Panic": Tourists In UAE Unfazed As Regional Tensions Rise

Even as tensions simmer in parts of West Asia amid the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, daily life and tourism in the UAE remain largely unaffected, with tourists continuing to visit iconic landmarks like the Burj Khalifa. In Dubai, visitors were seen exploring the city despite heightened regional developments.

Speaking to news agency ANI, a tourist shared that while they were briefly unsettled after hearing what sounded like distant explosions and receiving two emergency alerts from authorities during the night, the situation did not deter their travel plans.

Since the start of the US-Israel and Iran conflict, explosions have been reported across several Gulf countries, including the most populous cities in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait. 

"We went to a place named Global Village, we just heard some explosions. When we went back to our hotel, we learned that some explosions took place near the Burj Khalifa. We were a bit scared and couldn't sleep all night," the tourist added.

#WATCH | Dubai, UAE | A tourist says, "We just heard noises of some explosions... We received 2 emergency alerts from the government at night. We stayed at the hotel all day yesterday... We are going to Abu Dhabi today..." https://t.co/ZtesquVClu pic.twitter.com/gE35Kd6EYS

— ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2026

She said yesterday everything remained closed and they were not allowed to go anywhere. "But today we are going to Abu Dhabi and everything seems normal. Tourists are resuming their itinerary and there is no panic as of now," she said.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top leaders were killed on Saturday after the US-Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, describing them as pre-emptive. The attacks began two days after US-Iran talks on Tehran's nuclear programme ended without a deal.

In retaliation, Iran launched strikes against US bases in several Gulf countries (including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE), and there have been reports of civilian casualties since.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday they had launched missile strikes on Israel's government in Tel Aviv as well as security and military centres in Haifa and an attack on east Jerusalem, while Israel and Hezbollahn also traded fire as the fallout from US-Israeli strikes widened.