Terror attack’s vagueness makes it useless
The latest US State Department travel alert about potential terrorist attacks in Europe is no help to travellers. It’s for law enforcement and to some extent, protection of governments.
“The alert is so vague as to be meaningless to those actually travelling. We are reminded of the potential for terrorist acts on public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure,” says McClatchy-Tribune News Service.
"Terrorists have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services," it says at www.travel.state.gov.
“What are travellers supposed to do, report anyone who looks like their definition of a terrorist?” asks the newspaper service.
A warning to be careful because someone might strike somewhere in Europe with something against somebody sometime is an indication that top officials are pretty darned alarmed — but they are not sharing exactly what or why, it continues.
The attack warnings could also backfire. The vague government alert — given with plenty of hints that law enforcement actually knows more than they are letting on — eliminates from terrorists the crucial element of surprise.
In the end, the US and other governments have covered themselves in case an attack happens.
“Certainly they have concluded that being a Nervous Nellie is better than if they’d said nothing, something bad happens, then people find out they had suspicions all along,” it says.
And if the government discourages people from traveling and damages the economy, it obviously means the terrorist have already won — simply by their threats.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025