LINE

    Text:AAAPrint
    Society

    UK tourism chiefs hold emergency talks after terror attack

    1
    2017-06-07 15:34chinadaily.com.cn Editor: Feng Shuang ECNS App Download

    Top representatives from Britain's tourism and hospitality sector convened on Monday to discuss a potential slump in the number of visitors to the United Kingdom following Saturday's van and knife terror attack in London, which claimed seven lives and injured 48.

    The Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group met to coordinate the industry's response to the third UK terror attack this year.

    Xu Xiaolei, a spokesman for travel agent China Youth Travel Service, said only a few Chinese clients had canceled or changed plans, but he anticipates a future reduction. Chinese people made 260,000 visits to the UK in 2016.

    "Chinese tourists are mature and rational, and they have trust in the UK's security system," he said."However, the UK has witnessed several attacks recently. I think some Chinese tourists are likely to choose other destinations, and the number of Chinese tourists to the UK will be slightly reduced."

    The industry's emergency response group is facilitated by UK tourism authority VisitBritain and comprises more than 10 members, including the Association of British Travel Agents and the British Hospitality Group.

    It met after the attack on Westminster Bridge and following the London attacks on July 7, 2005 in which 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured.

    A VisitBritain spokesperson said: "First and foremost, we extend our thoughts and deepest sympathy to those affected by the recent events in London … London is open for business and Britain continues to welcome the millions of visitors from around the globe."

    The UK's tourism industry is worth 130 billion pounds ($168 billion) a year, contributing 36 billion pounds a year to London's economy. The sector maintained healthy numbers following the Westminster and Manchester attacks and it remains to be seen whether the third attack will result in fewer tourists heading to the UK. Last year, France saw a seven percent drop in visitor numbers following multiple terror attacks there.

    "There is the immediate impact and the question is how long that impact is sustained," said Ufi Ibrahim, CEO of the BHA."We've seen in France, in Paris and Nice, and in other countries where there have been terrorist attacks... that there is a sustained period. It takes months to be able to recover."

    Flight bookings from China to the UK for June to August 2017 are up 37 percent compared to last year, according to data compiled at the end of May by flight monitoring company ForwardKeys.

    Overall, there were a record 8.1 million overseas visits to the UK from January to March 2017, up seven percent on the same period in 2016, according to Visit Britain. Overseas visitors to the UK spent 4.2 billion pounds from January to March, up 11 percent on the same period in 2016 and setting a new record for the first three months of the year.

      

    Related news

    MorePhoto

    Most popular in 24h

    MoreTop news

    MoreVideo

    News
    Politics
    Business
    Society
    Culture
    Military
    Sci-tech
    Entertainment
    Sports
    Odd
    Features
    Biz
    Economy
    Travel
    Travel News
    Travel Types
    Events
    Food
    Hotel
    Bar & Club
    Architecture
    Gallery
    Photo
    CNS Photo
    Video
    Video
    Learning Chinese
    Learn About China
    Social Chinese
    Business Chinese
    Buzz Words
    Bilingual
    Resources
    ECNS Wire
    Special Coverage
    Infographics
    Voices
    LINE
    Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
    Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
    Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
    主站蜘蛛池模板: 资溪县| 南涧| 随州市| 通州区| 临西县| 水富县| 屯留县| 云龙县| 太谷县| 闵行区| 汤阴县| 乌兰县| 呼图壁县| 滦南县| 萝北县| 巩留县| 石景山区| 外汇| 沧州市| 景宁| 望谟县| 宁阳县| 兰溪市| 朝阳区| 囊谦县| 钦州市| 慈溪市| 噶尔县| 惠安县| 临夏市| 池州市| 黄平县| 开鲁县| 邹平县| 张掖市| 阜新| 姜堰市| 高要市| 绥阳县| 镇坪县| 和平区|