Terror risk is ‘still small’
European Tour Operators Association executive director Tom Jenkins says that, although the threat has been raised to ‘critical’ security services the risk is still small.
"The natural reaction is one of horror combined with deep sympathy for those caught up in the events at the Manchester Arena.
"The danger posed by such incidents lies not in the threat that they pose, which is nugatory, but in our reaction to them. Authorities, driven by the need to do something, are always tempted to increase visible law-enforcement presence, sometimes involving militia.
"They may upgrade the status of terrorism threat. Institutions impose heavier screening of visitors. Transport hubs bristle with armed security. This is all part of the ostentatious barn door closing that solemnises terrorism.
"We used to think that this was problematic. Such variation from normality amplifies the impact of an attack and distorts perceptions of threat. It grants morbid celebrity to the actions of a sick individual. But, now, it is almost part of the ritual. And rituals are reassuring.
"What does this mean for travel? None of it is good news, but it means that the impact of these things is nothing like as dramatic as it used to be. That the risks posed by terrorists are infinitesimal (in broad terms they pose less of a threat to human life than livestock) is being understood.
"MI5, presumably using the same gnosis that failed them last week, now declare that: ‘The current threat level for international terrorism in the UK is CRITICAL’. It would be useful if they added: ‘The risk posed to the general public is MINUTE’."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025