Indeed a great article and what is most amazing to me is written below the paragraph:
Where you gonna run to?
The development of a “growing consensus” described by Jack is already confirmed by European tourism industry.
While in Jakarta Post was to read, that 50% of New Zealanders had cancelled their trips, in Europe only a few decided to change their travel destination.
At time 2,300 Germans are on Bali, although every German agency offered them earlier flights back home, only 50 decided to go.
While in 2002, 143,000 Germans were on Bali in 2004 it has been 170,000, so there was no effect due the bombings in Oct. 2002.
The reasons for this?
Here we are confronted day by day with pictures of terror attacks, beside the Iraq, 9/11, Istanbul, Madrid, London there were many attacks toward tourist destinations in Spain, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, then there was the tsunami this year, airplane crashes, or simply reports about robbed and killed tourists in all parts of the world, hijackings in South America, Africa on the Philippines.
The people are getting used to this, the scary influence of these incidents decreased during the time, like a spokesmen of French tourism industry stated.
Terrorists have been caught with plans for attacks.
Another interesting aspect in the statement of Jacques Maillot, more and more of the travellers would develop a kind of solidarity with the affected destinations.
The German bookings for Thailand have increased, it might sound bizarre, but this was doubtless caused by the tsunami, or better by the reports about this in German TV and press.
I’ve heard not one negative statement toward the Thais due this incident, everybody who was affected by the tsunami and was in one of countless reports or benefit-galas was praising the attitudes of the Thais during this disaster and endless hours of TV time were certainly an enormous push of advertisement regarding the Thailand tourism.
Maybe here is a chance for Bali’s tourism industry, look for a strategy to increase the quality and diversity of guests and not the quantity of them.
Never less, the actual situation is serious and the extended warnings are frightening, it’s simply impossible to stop suicide bombers acting like last Saturday, but when they really will hit another time now, without any doubt tourism on Bali will be dead.