American traveller Hilary Reiter Azzaretti agrees. She recently returned from trips to Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia and says she felt welcome and safe everywhere. “The alerts won’t deter my plans to travel, though I will probably avoid crowded, touristy attractions,” she says. “I like taking advantage of travelling when fewer people are doing so and if I feel I can do it as safely as possible.”
Getty ImagesOthers are taking a more cautious approach. Vanessa Gordon, publisher of East End Taste, planned to take her children to Europe this July but will now keep them in day camp on Long Island. “I will still travel overseas,” she says. “[But] travelling with children, especially as a single/solo parent, comes with vulnerabilities and risks that may be unseen. I am not necessarily concerned for myself but more so prioritising the safety and security of my children.”
While few Americans are outright cancelling their trips, many are rethinking where to go this summer. “A worldwide alert is quite rare for a country to issue, and so I am heeding the message,” says Colleen Kelly, host of the TV series Family Travel with Colleen Kelly, noting she will avoid travelling abroad. “That does not mean I will not travel, however, but I have chosen to travel only domestically or to Canada.”
Destinations respond: Reassurance and resilience
Canada in particular is eager to keep US tourists coming, especially after relations between the two countries turned icy in recent months – emphasising favourable exchange rates, cooler summer temperatures and ease of access with direct non-stop flights.