Has terrorism influenced your travel plans?
Written by Karen Bryan
Have the most recent terrorist attacks in the UK prompted you to reconsider your travel plans? Hoseasons reported a substansial increase in enquiries for UK holiday accommodation since last Sunday. Hoseasons said this was due to probable increased delays at airports due to increased security measures. Today the UK terror threat has been reduced from critical to severe.
Unfortunately terrorism is another fact of life that we have to factor into our everyday life. Determined terrorists are going to attempt to commit attrocities and even stringent security measures will not foil every attempt. I try to evaluate the risk objectively. I believe I am at far more risk from injury or death every time I go out in my car. However I take that risk because I want to be able to get around. Therefore if I decide that I want to fly somewhere in Europe in the next few months I don’t think that the possibility of terrorism will deter me. I generally fly in the low season when airports are less busy and will have to accept that it will take longer to get through security and allow extra time for this.
I’d already decided to stay in the UK this Summer and haven’t thought about my future travel plans yet. Have changed your plans due to the latest terrorist attacks?
I read this evening that the recent wet weather with no imminent forecast of improvement is boosting holiday sales with holidaymakers refusing to let the terrorist threat stand in the way of some sunshine abroad:
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2007/07/05/24643/wet-weather-boosts-holiday-sales-5-jul-2007.html
You set me thinking about what the effect was in NI of the terrorism….
It would be very difficult to be definitive about it in that there are obviously a considerable number of additional factors that came into play over the same 30 year period. However, there is a definite view that holidays were definitely “abroad” in NI which, I think, is stronger than that feeling in the rest of the UK. It wasn’t until very recently (ie post peace agreement) that the NI tourist board really found it’s feet whereas English Heritage has been running very strongly for many years.
I’m sure there must be some comparable figures on it somewhere. What you’d need to know would be the percentage of residents of NI taking holidays abroad vs the percentage on the mainland doing the same thing.
What may not have sunk in yet is that the increased security makes the airports safer. After all, Israels airline is supposedly the safest in the world due to the over the top approach that they take to security. And, in light of your other post, no, they don’t rely on technology: they have trained security people who ask all kinds of questions to a) determine if you are a terrorist (and they appear to operate on the assumption that everyone is until they’re convinced otherwise which is, of course, the safest thing to do) and b) determine if someone else could have planted something on you (eg they asked us where and when we’d bought our case, not just if anyone could have placed something in it).
In the start these things really mattered and i was bit effected by that but now i think it has become a routine.I am in such business in which there is lot of traveling involved so i cant hold on or put a full stop to my traveling.I think this word terrorism has just entered in our lives and has become part of it as everyday we see or hear a lot about terrorism.The worst effect which i have is fiddling with luggage.packing is disturbed or sometime few lost items specially whenever i fly out of country or sometimes in domestic flight too,
GA – I think that you are correct, we’ve just factored in terrorism as another part of life.
I do find the liquids security measures a pain, sometimes I have tubes that are 125 ml so have to put them in hold luggage (if I’m taking any) or buy a smaller size.