How safe it is to travel to Europe
From the Eiffel Tower to the Sistine Chapel and countless attractions in between, Europe has long been the dream location for tourists around the world. But recent events have led many tourists to question whether or not this is still the case.
The tragic run of violent attacks across France, Belgium, Germany and Turkey, combined with the burgeoning Syria refugee crisis and sensationalist media coverage has culminated in a dramatic reduction in tourist numbers in the last year.
And the airlines, accommodation providers and operators are feeling it.
Mark Okerstrom, chief financial officer of Expedia, noted the decline in an interview with The New York Times, stating, “We haven’t seen a bounce back. What we don’t know for certain is whether there’s an overall dampening impact to global travel, or to Europe specifically.”
David Katz, a managing director at Telsey Advisory Group, backed Okerstrom’s assertion up, noting the decline and saying that overall, “These events, which are tragic and very, very significant, each take a small but noticeable bite out of demand.”
But there’s another side to this too. As demand decreases there’s the chance that there a better offers available on flights, accommodation and other expenses like attractions and tours that may have in the past been prohibitively expensive.
Dr David Beirman, a senior tourism lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney, says, “Because there are so many ways now in which people travel to Europe, it’s very easy for over-60s to cocoon themselves from some of the more dangerous aspects of travel in Europe… I know very well too that a lot of over-60s are in the backpacker’s brigade. You certainly can’t characterize over-60s as soft travellers in fact many of them are prepared to be quite adventurous.”
National Seniors Australia recently asked members whether they were re-thinking European travel plans, and while there was obviously a degree of concern, many were taking a level-headed approach to the possibility of visiting Europe.
Terry (Cairns) put it well, when he said, “Safety concerns may put me off European travel. Only a fool would ignore potential terrorist action. However, I don't consider European travel unsafe, as fewer people have been killed by terrorists than in previous decades, and there is a greater risk of death by heart attack, stroke, or car accident than by terrorists.”
So what do you think? Do you think now’s the best time to visit Europe, or should it be avoided? Share your thoughts in the comments, we’d love to hear from you.
Related links:
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I saw the best of Europe on an Imperial Danube cruise
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