Dhaka, March 19 -- Travel agencies are currently witnessing a major downturn in business as the ongoing Middle East (ME) war has severely disrupted international air travel, especially flights between Bangladesh and the Gulf destinations.

The crisis has affected airline operations, pilgrimage travel, migrant movement, and tourism bookings - sectors that form the backbone of travel agency income.

"It has become extremely difficult to manage our office expenses as business has dropped sharply amid the ongoing Middle East war," Abdul Salam Aref, a former president of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB), told The Financial Express.

Migrants bound for the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman were cancelling or reschedulin...