Can an American tourist in London keep calm, carry on
“ARE YOU nervous?” a security guard asked me.
I was in London and the gentleman in the fluorescent safety vest had just inspected my bag and wanded my body from shoulders to ankles, front and back.
“Should I be nervous?” I responded.
Anyone beyond the picture frame might assume that we were discussing the current climate in London. I had arrived in the British capital less than a week after a man attacked a mosque and three weeks after a trio of terrorists rammed their van into pedestrians on London Bridge and fatally stabbed eight people in Borough Market. Nerves were raw. But anyone suiting up next to me - vest, boots, harness - would know the real reason behind his question. I was about to climb to the pinnacle of the O2, an entertainment venue. In any circumstance, 174 feet is a long, painful drop. For the next 90 minutes, all I could think about was staying vertical.
Tourists are resilient souls, but we are also cautious. After the March knife attack outside Parliament and the Manchester bombing in May, Bernard Donoghue, director of London’s Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, said that the organisation noticed a slight dip in visits to central London attractions. But overall, the numbers are strong: An eight percent increase compared with the same period last year.
In addition, he said, following an incident, typical tourist behaviour usually resumes after several days.
“Recovery after the London Bridge attack was within five, six, seven days,” he said. “It hasn’t had a lasting impact.”
Visit London and Visit Britain also chimed in with encouraging figures. The tourism offices shared the findings of Forward Keys, which analysed booking data from this year and 2016. The research company discovered a 19 per cent increase in arrivals from the United States to the United Kingdom during the peak travel months of June, July and August.
“London remains a safe city to visit,” said Laura Citron, chief executive of London & Partners, which runs Visit London, “and people should be reassured that there is an increased police and security presence around London and at the city’s visitor attractions.”
After the Manchester attacks, the British government raised the threat level to “critical,” the country’s highest. Four days later, the danger level dropped back to “severe,” the new normal since August 2014. The Armed Response Officers retreated to the background, and the Metropolitan Police Service, whose members mainly wear stab-resistant vests and carry extendable batons, returned as the most visible presence on the streets. Attractions bulked up their personnel and expanded security checks. The next month, following the London Bridge tragedy, the city erected steel barriers at several expanses, creating a line of defense for pedestrians.
“We have a history of dealing with security issues,” said Donoghue, evoking the troubles with the Irish Republican Army. “The British have a charming, reassuring attitude. We want to live our lives defiantly and deliberately.” But what about the foreign visitor whose lip is more quivering than stiff? In these jittery times, can a tourist loosen up and plunge headfirst into one of the world’s top summertime destinations?
Last week, I crossed the Atlantic to find out if an American in London could keep calm and carry on.
Before setting off for London, I reached out to International SOS for some safety tips. I wanted to update the old saws “Be aware of your surroundings” and “If you see something, say something.” For example, in light of recent events, should I avoid concert halls, bridges, outdoor markets?
Matt Bradley, a regional security director, started the counseling session with a reality slap in the face. He reminded me of the greater threats to travelers, such as petty crime, traffic accidents and gastrointestinal revolts.
Tourists are resilient souls, but we are also cautious. After the March knife attack outside Parliament and the Manchester bombing in May, Bernard Donoghue, director of London’s Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, said that the organisation noticed a slight dip in visits to central London attractions.
“Terrorism remains a low risk to travellers,” he said, “but the increase in attacks, especially in Western Europe, has raised the profile of terrorism for all travellers.” Instead of avoidance, he recommended preparation.
“Any location could be a target,” he said, “so knowing how to respond in case of an incident is the most important concept.” In practice, this means . . . • Identify a safe location, such as a nearby hotel, where you can seek cover in the event of an attack.
• Keep your phone fully charged, and bring a battery pack as backup.
• Carry a minimal amount of items when out exploring.
• Assemble a list of emergency contacts, such as phone numbers for the embassy, your hotel, insurance company and family members.
• For official information, follow the social media accounts of the local police and other emergency service providers. • And above all, remain calm. “The ability to think clearly is key to responding to an incident,” Bradley said.
Wrapped in a shawl of tranquility, I boarded the flight to Heathrow. I was so Zen, in fact, that I slept through a medical emergency on the plane. My seatmate, Clement Williams, filled me in on the details. While on the topic of crises, I asked him if he had any reservations about travelling to London.
“The attacks did influence my decision a little bit,” said Williams, who was spending a month in London and Paris before starting college in North Carolina. “But maybe because it’s become somewhat normalised, it was less of deterrent.”
Williams said he would probably avoid big tourist attractions, such as the London Eye, but not for safety reasons: Visiting major sites is not his style. Instead, he planned to hang out with friends and attend a soccer conference.
I asked him if his parents were worried. He said they had warned him about pickpockets. But his best friend’s mother rang louder alarms.
“She gave him all of those mum reminders,” he said, “like being cautious in big crowds.”
Mobs of people are inevitable during London’s peak tourist season, even out of the gate. After disembarking the plane, an American couple and I squinted to see the end of the mouse maze. More than an hour later, an immigration officer stamped my passport.
I expected longer queues at the top attractions, due to enhanced security measures, and packed accordingly. I filled a small bag with a few essentials and opened it on command.
“People are prepared to show their bags,” Donoghue said, “and are readily expecting it and feeling reassured.”
After the Manchester attack, Kensington Palace amped up bag searches. Before, the royal residence required guests to check oversized carriers and deep backpacks, in part to protect the exhibits. Now, the staff inspects all totes at every entry point, including the Palace Cafe.
On a rainy Wednesday, I coasted right up to the table.
“Do you have any sharp objects?” an employee stylishly dressed in black asked me.
She peered into my bag and wished me a pleasant visit.
A father and mother with two children approached. She checked the little girl’s butterflyshaped backpack. Her younger brother appeared on the verge of tears. His father explained that he too wanted his bag searched. The woman peeked inside his Nemo pack.
“Everything’s fine in there,” she said to the youngster. “Thank you very much.”
The level of screening varied slightly among sites. At the Tower of London, a man squeezed the bottom of my bag and briefly gazed inside it. At the Victoria and Albert Museum, the guard shined a flashlight into its dark recesses. To access Hutong restaurant on the 33rd floor of the Shard, I had to walk through a metal detector and send my bag through an X-ray machine. I also had to dress “smart casual”; athletic or beachy attire could result in expulsion.