Flying is now seen as a risky proposition by many tourists. - File RIGID AIRPORT security measures as well as the threat which prompted them, are causing a shift in travel patterns in major travel markets, according to media reports.
Americans are now willing to drive as much as eight hours to avoid the hassles and delays prompted by heightened security at airports, according to a recent Associated Press report. That is twice as long as they were willing to drive before September 11.
"More people are driving, and people have basically doubled the amount they are willing to drive to avoid the hassle of airports," said Ed McWilliams of D.K. Shifflet & Assoc. Ltd., which has polled 2,400 frequent travellers nation-wide every week or so since last October.
Analysts say US tourism should be close to last summer's level, although not all sectors will recover equally. Hotels will see an uneven recovery as travellers spend more time visiting family members and campgrounds.
Fear of flying has become almost fashionable, says Jerilyn Ross, president of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America in a USA Today report last month. Because of the generalised anxiety, it is no longer thought of as a psychiatric problem, but as socially acceptable.
So while the Caribbean is in a tourism slump, theme parks in Orlando, Florida, expect robust attendance.
"The theme parks are doing better than last year and that says something after 9-11," said Bob Gault, president and CEO of Universal Orlando, quoted in the AP report. "Groups that don't want to fly aren't hesitating about jumping in a car and driving. We're seeing a lot of drive traffic so far."
The United States is not unique. An AP report from Tokyo said the Japanese are taking shorter, cheaper summer holidays and staying closer to home.
The new trend affecting one of the world's most globe-trotting nations is likely to be felt by the international tourism industry from Hawaii to Paris as Japanese cut back on overseas travel and see more of their own country.
According to the most recent nation-wide figures, the number of Japanese booking foreign trips through Japan's top 50 travel agencies dropped 6 per cent in May from the previous year to 350,651 people.
In contrast, visitors to domestic destinations rose 4.6 per cent to 2.07 million.
The divergent trends reflect lingering concerns about safety after the September 11 terrorist attacks and the U.S.-led war on Afghanistan, which have discouraged many Japanese from heading overseas.
And Europeans have also been affected by the trend and are avoiding the US, according to a Business Week report. Nouvelles Frontieres, a big French tour operator and travel agent, reports a 15 to 20 per cent drop in the number of tourists visiting the United States this summer.
Spokesman Christian Rochette blames a "climate of fear" fuelled by warnings from U.S. authorities of new terrorist attacks. All this fear is also having an effect in the Middle East.
Another AP story stated that while Lebanon has always been a prime destination for Arab tourists, industry officials say more Arabs plan to take their holidays in the Middle East because they fear facing hassles in the West following the September 11 attacks.
The result is that Lebanon expects a record number of visitors during this year's June-September high season, and Arab states like Egypt and Jordan are gearing up for more Middle Eastern visitors, too.
