The Brussels bombings have had a bigger impact on travel to the destination than last year’s attack on Paris, according to a study of bookings in the aftermath of the event.
Research from ForwardKeys which measures 14 million daily reservation transactions found that net bookings – new bookings minus cancellations – fell by 136% compared with the previous year. Net bookings to Paris following the coordinated terror attacks last November fell by 101%.
Olivier Jager, co-founder and chief executive of ForwardKeys, said the study showed how devastating terror attacks could be on the public’s desire to travel.
“Our analysis confirms what many must have suspected, that once again terrorism is having a fundamental impact on international travel,” he said.
“The immediate effect of the Brussels bombings has been greater than the aftermath of the attacks on Paris in November last year when net bookings fell by 101%. This can be explained by the fact that the Brussels attacks led to the full closure of the city’s airport.”
The attacks occurred at two key transport hubs in the Belgian capital: at the airport in Zaventem and at Maalbeek Metro station in the centre of the city. In total 32 people were killed with hundreds more injured.
According to ForwardKeys cancellations are returning to the same level as last year but new bookings are down 32%. Group travel was the hardest segment hit with a 214% decline in net bookings, while leisure trips fell by 150%. The impact of the attacks is likely to continue until the summer, where demand is at a similar level to last year.
