SARS scarier than terrorism

TOURISTS are more worried by SARS than by terrorism, according to the Lonely Planet travel firm.

Sales of guidebooks to East Asia have gone down but those to South America, Central America and Western Europe have increased substantially.

“SARS still dominates discussions on our Thorn Tree bulletin board, more so than recent terrorist attacks,” said a spokeswoman.

The company also said:

The Casablanca bombings sparked a rush of messages about travel to Morocco. The consensus was to go but to keep abreast of the news and atmosphere.

Many are concerned about travelling in the US.

Since the end of hostilities in Iraq, travellers’ questions on the Middle East have moved on from safety concerns to logistics.

Central Asian discussions have recently shifted from safety concerns to problems of obtaining a visa for Afghanistan and how to get travel insurance.