Eye Of The Storm

The bloody attack in Paris and subsequent fears of a terrorist attack in nearby Brussels has put a dent in those cities tourist trades, although it isn’t clear how uneasy Canadians are about visiting either of those capitals or other parts of Europe now, reports Ian Stalker in this week’s digital edition of Travel Courier.

A report by STR Global – which monitors the hotel industry – said occupancy rates at some Paris hotels fell by more than 30% following the Nov. 13 attacks that left 130 people dead and were the focus of worldwide attention.

Britain-based Tarsh Consulting in turn said “net” flight bookings – daily bookings and cancellations – to Paris “collapsed” in the week following the attacks, down 101% from the same period last year.

Some of the attackers were from Brussels, home to a district often described as a hotbed of Islamic extremism. Belgium authorities imposed a brief security lockdown in Brussels after the Paris bloodshed, leaving VisitBrussels to concede the city was “in the eye of the storm.”

Tarsh said that net flight bookings to Brussels fell 159% after the lockdown was imposed.

For more, check out this week’s digital edition of Travel Courier by clicking here.