After the bombing in Bali last year, General Tours like many
tour operators suspended travel to the Indonesian island until the
end of 2002. Now it’s a new year, and Scott Avera, General Tours’
assistant vice president, said the tour operator, based in Keene,
N.H., is ready to start sending people to Bali again. Though he had
no requests as of last week, he said, “I’m sure they’ll start
calling.”
Still, Indonesia remains on the U.S. State Department’s travel
warning list one of many “hot spots” where travelers are expected
to return this year despite acts of violence.
While rumors of war have slowed travel to the Middle East and
North Africa, a comeback is predicted for places such as Bali,
Kenya and Zimbabwe. And at least one tour operator has a program
planned for North Korea in the coming year, despite tensions over
the Communist nation’s plans to build nuclear weapons.
Some tour operators said business to Kenya has slowed since
November, when an Israeli-owned resort near Mombasa was bombed and
a missile narrowly missed an Israeli jetliner. Others reported
business as usual.
Patti Buffolano, general manager of Micato Safaris in New York,
said she expected a flood of cancellations after the bombing. But
“the phone didn’t ring,” and bookings have been steady.
Most American tourists don’t travel to cities such as Mombasa,
preferring tours that will take them into the bush. “If there’s one
place where there’s not going to be a terrorist attack, it’s in the
middle of the Masai Mara,” Buffolano said.
Connie Ebright of Ebright Travel in Glendale, Calif., said she
had no qualms about sending people to Kenya, but the agent is
steering clients away from Zimbabwe because of reports of violence
stemming from a controversial land-redistribution program. If her
clients want to visit Victoria Falls, for example, she sends them
to the Zambia side even though there have been no reports of
violence against tourists in Zimbabwe.
“But clients perceive it as being risky, so why send them
there,” said Ebright, who specializes in travel to Africa.
Wildland Adventures, a tour operator based in Seattle, is still
is sending clients to Zimbabwe, though business is slow, said Anne
Morrison, its Africa program director.
Morrison tries to keep clients away from the more agricultural
areas of Zimbabwe, where the land dispute seems to be focused. But,
she said, “We don’t feel it’s a threat to tourists.”
There haven’t been any recent reports of violence against
Americans in North Korea either, but at least one tour operator is
keeping a close eye on political tensions there.
Klaus Billep, president of Universal Travel System based in
Santa Monica, Calif., took a group of 15 to North Korea last
June.
Although visas weren’t issued until the group arrived in
Beijing, Billep said the visit was a success.
Since then, however, tensions between North Korea and the U.S.
have reached a simmering point. Still, Billep said he is planning
two more trips this year if the political situation will allow.
As tourists return to places such as Bali, however, travel
agents should not necessarily expect to find bargains, said David
Mackay, general manager of Islands Escapes by Goway Travel in
Vancouver.
“Bali has always been a pretty good value,” he said. “I don’t
think you’ll see much movement in pricing.”
Islands Escapes plans to re-launch its programs to Bali by early
March.
“The benchmark,” he added, “will be when the Australians start
going back. And indications are that will happen soon.” Bali has
long been a popular destination among Australians.
Mackay urged Americans to read the State Department warning
before they book.
“We don’t want to encourage or discourage people, it has to be a
personal choice,” he said.
Resources
Ebright Travel, based in Glendale, Calif., is a travel agency
specializing in travel to Africa. Call (800) 853-4380 or (818)
244-7599. On the web: www.ebrighttravel.com.
Wildland Adventures, based in Seattle, specializes in small
group adventures and eco-tours around the world. Call (800)
345-4453 or (206) 365-0686. On the web: www.wildland.com.
Micato Safaris, with offices in New York and Nairobi, is a tour
operators specializing in East Africa. Call (800) MICATO-1 or (212)
545-7111. On the web: www.micatosafaris.com.
Universal Travel System, based in Santa Monica, Calif., is a
special group-tour operator offering destinations around the world,
including North Korea. Call (800) 255-4338 or (310) 393-0261. On
the web: www.uts-travel.com. State Department information about
travel to North Korea can be found at
www.travel-state.gov/nkorea.html.
Islands Escapes, a division of Goway Travel, is a tour operator
based in Vancouver handling travel to islands of the South Pacific
(including Bali), as well as Australia, New Zealand and Africa.
Call (800) 667-6601. On the web: www.islandsescapes.com.
