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I’ve postpone my trip to the old continent after the recent terrorist attack in London, for which ISIS claimed responsibility according to one of its fighters who from his car interviewed a group of pedestrians, many of which were tourists, that were walking along the iconic Westminster bridge. When I saw the devastating images of people falling over like domino pieces I immediately stopped my search for airline tickets, hotels, etc.

The British capital was a good option for me, not only because of its tourist attractions, but also because it had remained immune to terrorist attacks such as those suffered by other European cities like Paris, Stockholm, Berlin and Brussels, driving away potential tourists such as myself. Although not in my particular case, it seems that generally speaking this fear of traveling to Europe quickly vanishes into thin air. Although many tourists cancel their plans or reservations just after a terrorist attack of that magnitude, global statistics seem to indicate that people tend to resume their plans to visit those cities and countries. The latest report from the World Tourism Organization published May 29 shows that, paradoxically, in 2016 the number of international tourists that visited the 28 countries of the European Union increased by 21 million, to a total of 499 million tourists—equivalent to an increase of 4% compared to the previous year. The report doesn’t specifically mention how many of those tourists visited the countries that suffered terrorist attacks, such as Great Britain, France and Belgium.

For the time being I will not be part of the statistics of people who travel to Europe in 2017. Instead I will take my backpack to another part of the world. In my opinion, to visit Europe nowadays is like we say in Colombia “Dar Papaya”, which means to set oneself up as an easy target.

Michaelroanews