Photo via Twitter/Sven Giegold
A horrendous attack with a speeding truck plowing into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin seemed to have all the necessary ingredients for a terror incident that would strike fear into the hearts of all of the Western world.
It was not only an attack on innocent civilians, it had the added impact of being also an attack on Christmas itself. ISIS, the Islamic State, took responsibility, or from its point of view claimed credit for the foul deed. But it is easy for that gang to claim credit for any attack on Western "crusaders" by any deranged person.
The attack would seem to be enough to achieve its goal of putting the freeze on tourism and any other conduct of normal life that generates economic activity or cultural exchange. But, disappointingly for ISIS, terrorism doesn't work that way anymore.
As horrible as these acts are for the people directly involved, they have now become so common, so repetitious that the effect is lost. Regarding the travel industry, the effect of such incidents is becoming less and less.
Tour operators contacted by TravelPulse reported that they had seen no change in business, virtually no cancellations and few calls of concern. From that point of view, it was a big lead balloon.
Paula Twidale, executive vice president of Collette and chairperson of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, issued a statement acknowledging the sadness that such a tragedy brings, but also issuing a call for defiance against anyone who would try to curtail the normal activities of life, including travel.
"The senseless violence in Berlin is heartbreaking and we share the sorrow of all those who suffered injuries and loss," said Twidale. "Collette did not have guests in Berlin during this time, but we will continue to support them as well as other destinations in Germany with tour offerings...
"Although we are risk averse, we will not succumb to fear, as that is the intention of those who invoke violence. We encourage our guests to continue with their travel plans to all destinations and leave the details to Collette, your trusted travel provider."
Twidale's message was echoed throughout the industry.
"It is encouraging to note that the overall mood of the traveling public has become more resolute in not allowing world events of this sort putting a stop to leisure travel," said John Stachnik, president of Mayflower Tours. "We pray for the souls who suffered from this irrational and evil occurrence."
"To a certain extent, travelers have become acquainted with our world of today," said Bob Drumm, president of Alexander + Roberts. "They are more resilient than in the past."
While the string of terrorist attacks over the last year will probably have effects on political policies, they are not having the desired effect of stopping people from carrying on their lives normally.
"It's tragic," said James Phillips, president of Travel Bound. "Whilst we don't yet know the details, the wider story is also potentially equally tragic - that one Trojan horse puts an end to the compassionate and tolerant policies of supporting refugees who so desperately need help.
"Whilst this act is shocking and distressing, 2016 has seen an adjustment in our ability to process this type of events, because of the regularity with which they occur. What we have felt until now has been an uplift in travel to Europe.
"Americans are resilient, the dollar is doing exceptionally well and in all other ways it is a fantastic time to travel. The chances of getting caught up in an event like this are tiny -- under 1 in 9 million chance. We hope that this is recognized, and our customer support team is available to offer advice should our customers feel a need to discuss this."
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