NEW YORK -- The war reinforced the "close to home" syndrome and
that is having a greater effect on tour operators that sell Europe
than those that sell domestic destinations.
For The Mark Travel Corp., a top operator to North American
destinations, things seem better than expected, but William La
Macchia, president and CEO, said, "It's premature to tell what
impact it is going to have. We are reassuring customers, giving
them more flexibility."
At Apple Vacations, Tim Mullen, director of marketing and sales,
said, "We offer destinations people feel comfortable traveling to.
They don't want to go too far away, or be gone too long, or spend
too much. But they still want to get away." He added that "I
haven't seen a last-minute market like this since after 9/11."
Gail Golden, vice chairman and chief executive of Maupintour,
said, "Booking levels have trended lower for international travel
than for U.S. and Canada."
One of Europe's biggest operators, the Far & Wide Travel
Corp., is hoping an end to the uncertainty will help business get
rolling again.
"Uncertainty is our worst enemy," said Phil Bakes, chairman and
CEO. "There is still a lot of uncertainty, but it is coming to a
close. If [the war] comes to a reasonably tidy conclusion, then I
think we will see a release of pent-up demand."