Brussels attacks – pax seek safer options

TOUR operators expect to
see new travel trends to
Europe and the US in the
wake of the recent Brussels
terror attacks, with many South
Africans thinking twice before
booking their holidays.
Usually resilient travellers,
South Africans may become
jittery due to the repetitive
nature of terror attacks, says
John Ridler, pr and media
manager of Thompsons
Holidays. “People are more
circumspect about where they
go and attacks in city centres
will drive people to visit the
countryside and outlying areas
instead. We have outside city
centre destinations that were
devised to help contain costs
but these would also work for
safety reasons.”
John speculates that cruise
business may pick up as
it answers many questions
regarding security and
disrupted travel arrangements
and cruise ships can alter their
itinerary should trouble arise
at a port of call.
Travellers are already
cautious about visiting Europe
and the US due to the volatile
rand, with the terror attacks
further confirmation they
should wait and travel locally
instead, says Annemarie
Lexow, sales and marketing
manager of TravelVision.
They can also expect tighter
restrictions when visiting
these areas. Travellers should
prepare for delays at check-in
as additional security checks
are carried out at airports,
train stations and transport
hubs, says Flight Centre’s
strategic marketing specialist,
Sharmila Ragunanan. They
should also stay abreast of
travel alerts and advisories.
Sharmila urges travellers to
provide their details on the
Registration of South Africans
Abroad (ROSA) website (www.
gov.za/services/travel-outsidesa/register-south-africansabroad).
This voluntary service
allows the Department of
International Relations and
Cooperation to assist South
Africans in the event of
emergency.
Theresa Szejwallo, md
of The Travel Corporation
SA, told TNW the Brussels
incident had elicited less of a
response from travellers than
expected but clients feeling
uncomfortable about going
to Brussels might move their
trips.