Heat and rioting don't discourage many from visiting

It seems that there are plenty of Canadians who are willing to grin and dare it when unwelcome developments surface in traditionally popular tourist destinations.

Travel agents, tour operators and destination representatives report that large numbers of Canadians are happily heading to Europe, which has been buffeted by a spate of bad news recently, including now-ended rioting throughout much of France and scorching heat that is disrupting life in the southern part of the continent right now, with both Italy and Greece among countries struggling with soaring temperatures.

Tom Smith, vice president, sales and marketing, North America at Intrepid Travel, says the French rioting — which dominated international news for several days — didn’t put a damper on interest in hugely popular France among Intrepid’s clients.

“We did not see this make a direct impact on our bookings,” he reports. “We found that as much of the unrest was in the outskirts of major cities, tourism was not as heavily impacted. All major sights and attractions remained open as per usual and as such, no special travel warnings were given to travellers to France during the riots. I’ll also add, much of our offerings in France are off the beaten path – including cycling tours through Provence and the Loire Valley – and these areas were less directly impacted by the riots. 

“Our operations office in France is of course constantly monitoring the situation so we have access to real-time safety updates and staff on the ground and are able to provide support to travellers if needed. In the event of any disturbances, we make operational decisions based on advice from a number of sources, including government travel advisories and our teams on the ground. The safety of our travellers is our top priority.”

But Smith adds that the industry can be vulnerable to things beyond its control, depending on what he labels  the level of severity and longevity of the situation. “For example, last year we saw the immediate impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when it initially disrupted travel to Eastern Europe, which has since made a strong recovery. Whereas more localized or shorter disturbances such as the riots in France may be less likely to deter travellers.” 

Christine James, vice president, Canada, Travel Leaders Network doubts  unseasonably hot weather will lead many to scratch Europe from their travel plans. “I’ve been watching the news and they’ve been interviewing folks that have already made their plans and they’re all saying that they still plan to move forward. I believe the heat wave may deter those that haven’t made their plans yet may hold off but I don’t anticipate any mass cancellations.”

Carlton Montaut of Centre Holidays in Mississauga, Ont., a TLN agency, adds he hasn’t  seen any cancellations brought on by the heat wave.

Carolyn O’Reilly of Calgary’s Genesis Travel  says it’s been her experience that reactions among clients vary when major problems surface. “I do find when these things happen it really depends on the client. Some don’t care and some will cancel.”

Jerry Grymek of LMA Communications, which represents several destinations in this country, doubts Europe’s heat wave will dissuade many from this country from visiting the continent right now.

“I feel that Canadians will travel regardless of what is happening in the world,” he says. “Today’s traveller is more savvy and knows to research where they are traveling to ensure they have the best and safest experience.

“With this extreme heat we are still seeing high levels of travel so while people may need to limit their outdoor experiences, they will still find a way to enjoy their time.”

Paul Nielsen of Toronto’s Paragon Travel says when there are disturbances in a destination his agency is “very careful in positioning the challenge for our guests.

“We don’t want to scare them so they decline a life-enhancing experience but we also don’t want to be unrealistic so they walk into a problem without appropriate cautions.

“It’s a tremendous responsibility that we weigh in almost every destination,”

Ethel Hansen Davey of Toronto’s Uniglobe Enterprise Travel adds that those that follow international news do have questions when the likes of widespread rioting breaks out.

“However, as per usual, there seems to be no change in the enthusiasm for travel, even to France. I haven’t seen anywhere that tourists have been impacted by these demonstrations in France any more than similar demonstrations in the USA in recent years,” she continues.