by Brian Major
Last updated: 2:00 AM ET, Wed May 25, 2016
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
Terror is taking a toll on American's travel to some of the world's leading cities, says travel insurance supplier Allianz Global Assistance. Bookings for travel to destinations including major cities in Turkey, Germany and Belgium during the summer travel season from Memorial Day to Labor Day are down 20 percent or more year-over-year in 2016, an Allianz study found.
The number of travelers booked to visit Istanbul is down 43.7 percent in 2016 compared with the same period last year, according to an Allianz review of more than 500,000 Americans' travel plans. The study also found bookings to Brussels down 30.4 percent and bookings for travel to Frankfurt are down 22.9 percent during the same period.
Both Brussels and Istanbul have suffered deadly terrorist attacks this year while several major German cities, including Frankfurt and Belgium, are considered potential terrorist targets.
READ MORE: How Terror in Europe is Affecting Travel Insurers
Paris, which suffered its own terrorist attacks late last year, has proven resilient this year, according to the Allianz study, recording a 0.6 percent U.S. summer visitor increase from the U.S. Paris remains the second-most visited European city among American travelers following London.
Meanwhile, overall bookings to Europe increased 9.3 percent during the same period in 2016, the Allianz study found. In addition cities including Dublin, Athens, Lisbon and Amsterdam recorded increases ranging from 34.5 percent to 46.5 percent during the summer travel period.
"Americans are still bullish on Europe and travel to the continent is going to be resilient as tourists seek safety in traditionally popular destinations like London and Rome [and] increasingly popular cities like Dublin, Amsterdam and Lisbon," said Daniel Durazo, Allianz' director of communications.
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