The terrorist bombings that occurred this
summer in London and Egypt and in 2004 in Madrid will have little
impact on tourism or on the future sales of tour programs and
vacation packages, according to an informal survey by the U.S. Tour
Operators Association (USTOA) of its members.
The survey, which
was conducted before the attack in Bali earlier this month, was a
poll of 28 member companies serving Europe and the eastern
Mediterranean.
The morning
rush-hour terror strikes at city train stations in Madrid in March
2004 killed 192 people and wounded 1,400 and were linked to a
Basque separatist group. When asked whether the bombings had
affected 2005 travel bookings to Spain, 75% of the respondents said
they had had no effect, while 25% acknowledged a minor decrease in
sales.
The same finding
held for the July 7 series of coordinated attacks on Londons
transport system, which killed 52 people and injured
700.
Of the USTOA
members who responded to the survey, 70% reported that the bombings
had no immediate effect.
The long-range
outlook, moreover, was positive, with 82% of the respondents saying
the bombings would have no effect on London sales in
2006.
In the Red Sea
resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, near-simultaneous attacks on
July 25 killed 83 people and wounded more than 200
others.
Although 78% of
USTOA respondents reported the bombings had no effect on their
Egypt bookings, the response was less positive on long-term
bookings. While 64% of those surveyed said the bombings would have
no effect in 2006, 36% said that bookings would be
affected.