AFTA update

From AFTA’s chief executive, Jayson Westbury

THE world has once again been confronted with an act of despicable terrorism with the events last week in London at Westminster. This disgraceful act by an individual who has taken the lives of five people and injured a further 50 comes with such a shock. I was in London the day after the incident (Thursday 23 March), as chance would have it, and attended the London vigil at Trafalgar Square to remember the victims of the random act. At the time of the vigil there had only been three deaths, but sadly as the days have passed, this number has increased to five.

It was a very calming experience to be in a place like London that would usually be a hive of activity. With traffic diverted away from the square, surrounded by history represented by iconic buildings, museums and people, hundreds of people, the city stood still. The bells of Big Ben could be heard over the silence as the moment was remembered. Moving in so many ways, but so sad for the loss of lives.

From my firsthand account, the feeling in London and with the various meetings that I was attending, is that the city will not let this act falter them from the resolve of living a free and happy life. While it was just the day after the attack that I was there, it clearly was the talk around town was, that life moves on quickly. Having said that, to see the flag at half- mast over Parliament, an iconic tourist attraction itself, was sobering.

It does seem to me that the world is getting more and more used to these things happening and just not letting them stop us from having the freedom of life that we all so often take for granted. I am sure that the UK authorities will move swiftly to contain any direct further fallout from this act and it would already seem from the subsequent arrests that they are doing just that.

For me, having been there for just two days, other than the area directly around Westminster, I would have to say that one would not have known there was anything going on. London has just moved on to keep doing what it does; being one of the world’s most amazing cities.

I am sure the global travel and tourism industry will support them [London] even more at this time and if I was to give any advice on the matter, continue to travel as you would, as we have no way of ever really knowing what a crazy person may do and where they may do it next.