Not All Tourists Wary of Traveling Sept. 11

Although it looks as if many Americans will avoid traveling on the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, some upscale and adventure tourists don’t appear to be deterred.

A poll of 801 leisure and business travelers taken the week of July 22 and released last week by Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown found a “high level of anxiety,” with nearly one in five saying they would not travel on or near Sept. 11 because of concern about possible terrorist activity, said Peter C. Yesawich, president of the Orlando, Fla.-based marketing firm. But, he noted, “Four out of five travelers say they will not alter their plans.”

A South Africa tour, departing Sept. 11 from New York’s JFK airport, had 12 participants as of Aug. 2, compared with 14 who departed Sept. 6 last year on the same trip, said Anne Bellamy, vice president of Glendale-based African Travel.

Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent International, based in Oak Brook, Ill., has “very strong bookings” for Asia and Europe in September, spokeswoman Pamela Lassers said. “We aren’t seeing that date [Sept. 11] has any special significance,” she added.

As of July 31, total sign-ups at Backroads, a Berkeley-based company that runs hiking, biking and other active tours in the U.S. and abroad, were up 3% from last year for trips departing Sept. 6 to 16, said spokeswoman Julie Snyder. A hiking trip in Italy’s Dolomites, departing Sept. 11, had 15 sign-ups, compared with 16 who took a similar trip Sept. 3 last year, she said.

Some cruise lines, including Carnival and Holland America, also report fairly normal bookings around Sept. 11.

The picture is different for some major bus tours and packages. September looks like a “fairly light travel month” for Pleasant Holidays’ trips to Hawaii and Mexico, but October and November “have shown an unusual strength” in bookings, said Ken Phillips, spokesman for the budget vacation packager. Littleton, Colo.-based Globus & Cosmos said bookings for European tours that include Sept. 11 are down about 25% from last year.

The effect on leisure travel would be stronger if Sept. 11 fell on a weekend, when most such trips begin, rather than on a Wednesday as it does this year, firms said.

Reflecting lower demand, many airlines are reducing flights on or near the anniversary. Travelers on those dates should call the airline to make sure their flight hasn’t been canceled, experts advise.