The warning by the U.S. government about potential al-Qaeda 'commando' attacks in crowded European cities is already deterring some U.S. citizens from traveling abroad. A survey of 500 U.S users of www.OneNewsPage.com found almost a fifth (19 percent) said they had "actually cancelled" travel plans because of recent government safety warnings.
Over half (52 percent) of the U.S. public surveyed, while not having cancelled foreign trips, said that the warnings would deter them from traveling to Europe. Sixty-five per cent of the 500 people sampled said they feared an al-Qaeda attack in the U.S. What's more, over half (54 percent) said their fear of terrorism had increased in the past year. But when asked directly "Is it still safe to travel abroad?" more than a half of the respondents (54.5 percent) agreed it was safe.
The One News Page survey was conducted over three days from the October 4 to 6. The government warning was issued on October 3. Dr. Marc Pinter-Krainer, CEO of One News Page, says: "Almost a fifth of respondents said they'd already canceled foreign travel plans, following the U.S. government warning to avoid crowded places in Europe. While Europe struggles to recover from recession, the impact on tourism could be very damaging. That said, most people learn to live with risks and get on with their lives, so I expect much of this strong reaction is because the warning is very fresh in their minds."
