LONDON, (Reuters):
FORGET the lavish office party, say good-bye to the Christmas holiday abroad - war and recession have dealt a double blow to this year's festivities.
In happier times, success bred excess among business high rollers determined to celebrate in style. Not any more.
Once upon a time, Christmas gave people a chance to travel overseas. Not any more.
From Honolulu to Berlin, from Tokyo to Kuwait, the message was the same - The Grinch hadn't quite stolen Christmas but many are happy to stay at home amid the chill winds of recession in a world forever changed by September's U.S. hijack attacks.
The bluntest message came from where it all started.
Bethlehem residents said Christmas festivities in Jesus' birthplace would be muted this year in protest at Israel's killing of Palestinians and a blockade of the town.
Mayor Hanna Nasser said festivities would be limited to religious rituals. Other than a few lights on the tree in Manger Square, Bethlehem would have no Yuletide trappings.
No one seems that eager to explore the world over Christmas.
Many western residents in Kuwait fly home for Christmas to celebrate with their extended families - but not this year.
"Since the Americans hit (Afghanistan) in Ramadan, then they might hit back over Christmas," said one westerner who cancelled annual plans to spend the holidays in the United States.
A Japan Travel Bureau spokeswoman said: "Overall reservations for that period are down by about 25 per cent compared to last year." Normally popular Bali is suffering because it is part of Muslim Indonesia.
But Tokyo's prestigious Imperial Hotel has no complaints. "A lot of our guests are telling us they were planning to go overseas this year but decided not to because of the September attacks," a spokesman said.
Empty beaches, hotel discounts and sunny weather might be the recipe for a perfect Hawaiian vacation, but a sharp drop in visitors has sent the tourist-dependent state into a financial tailspin that economists say could last well into 2002.
Staying home
Greeks are still bearing gifts this Christmas - but they will be staying at home.
"Our business is down at least 80 per cent since September 11," said a spokeswoman for a leading travel agent. "The only thing Greeks will do this year is travel by car, with their families."
But not all is doom and gloom.
A Finnish company that operates ice-breaker cruises in the northern Baltic Sea from mid-December said advance bookings looked promising, and reservations for its "ice hotel" open from mid-February also looked better than last year.
With six weeks of annual holiday and some of Europe's highest wages, Germans are among the world's top travellers, spending $50 billion on 44 million trips abroad last year, according to the World Tourism Organisation. But that wanderlust collapsed in September with nearly 30 per cent fewer passengers flying to the United States compared to the same month a year ago.
Italian ski resorts said more Italians are staying home. "We are getting calls from people who say this year they plan to stay close to home for New Year instead of flying to cities like Paris or Vienna, " said a spokesman for the La Thuile ski area.
For banks, media companies and advertising agencies, 2001 is definitely not the year to throw a lavish Christmas party.
Ostentation is viewed as inappropriate and tasteless amid a wave of job losses and cutbacks.
America's "Empress of Entertaining" Martha Stewart opted this year for intimate dinner parties at co-workers' homes instead of the traditional party at a hotel or restaurant.
In London, party organisers report bookings down 20 per cent. One television company offered department heads just enough money to buy their staff a round of drinks in the pub.
But there were some calls to be of good cheer.
Some Germans feel there is no reason why time with loved ones and vacation further afield need to be mutually exclusive.
"Same procedure every year," said Ulrich Meyer, a 30-year-old from Cologne. "First I'll spend Christmas with the family and then it's off to Austria for a week on the slopes!"
And British television personality, Vanessa Feltz, declared: "Now, more than any other year, we need to party for patriotism and enjoy ourselves for the economy. It is our solemn duty to go a-wassailing and be the merriest we can manage."
