As Turist.ru notes, one only has to slip up and rely on luck to end up in the clutches of pirates while sailing a yacht through the Gulf of Aden, or taken hostage during a safari, or stuck for a couple of weeks at an airport in Thailand due to political differences. This, of course, is scary, but not as much as the sad fate of tourists who find themselves face to face with terrorism, the meaning of which is to intimidate the entire society, and not just to banal extortion of money or change of government. And then foreigners are shot simply because they are marked as victims in the fight for an idea, and hotels are blown up to provoke an escalation of a national conflict. Alas, now, when going on vacation, one has to take into account such a sad possibility.
Six months ago, the police of Mumbai, the former Indian Bombay, were warned that mujahideen were planning to carry out terrorist attacks in several large hotels in the city. In September, the group 'Indian Mujahideen' sent warnings to local media about upcoming terrorist acts in Mumbai. In Shrivardhan Bay, a ship was searched on which explosives were supposedly to be found, but nothing was found on board.
But the thunder still struck - on November 26, a group of terrorists, according to the latest data extremely small - only about 10 people, but armed with heavy machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles and grenades, swept through the city, specifically choosing foreign tourists as victims, mainly from the USA and England. The terrorists attacked two luxury hotels - Taj Mahal and Trident Oberoi, the popular tourist restaurant 'Leopold', a hospital, a Jewish center, a railway station and even a police station. Hostages were taken in both hotels, and the standoff with police lasted more than two days. As a result, according to official data, more than 174 people died and 239 were wounded. Among the dead, according to preliminary data, were 22 foreign tourists.
It is clear that now vacationers who were planning to go to Mumbai are thinking whether to take the trip, and people who survived the massacre and returned will probably listen more carefully to warnings from security agencies and ministries of foreign affairs and tourism. But many of those who heard warnings about possible terrorist attacks, read about them before buying a ticket to Mumbai - what were they thinking? That nothing like this would ever happen to them, tourists? Perhaps that they are immortal?
Well, heirs of Duncan MacLeod can stop reading, but ordinary mortal travelers should consider that there are still warnings of possible terrorist attacks in several popular tourist destinations.
After the kidnapping of tourists that occurred in early autumn in Egypt, travelers are strongly advised not to participate in safaris, car rallies and other extreme sports in such popular African countries as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. Also, the Russian Foreign Ministry advises travelers to temporarily refrain from traveling to Pakistan, Yemen, Algeria and Mauritania.
Until the political situation in Thailand is resolved, tourists should clearly understand that there is still a possibility of facing cancellation or postponement of the flight home when going on vacation to one of the country's provinces. And after explosions occurred in Bangkok and near one of the capital's airports, it became obvious that there is also a danger of getting into a more serious trouble in this country. And therefore the Russian Foreign Ministry again warns against traveling to this country until the situation normalizes.
Bali is advertised as one of the paradise corners of eternal summer. Meanwhile, due to the threat of terrorist attacks, Australia calls on its citizens to limit travel to Indonesia. The fact is that the situation in the island state has escalated because of the death sentence imposed on several terrorists who blew up two nightclubs in Bali in 2002. And although 88 Australians died then, the chances that next time not only tourists from this continent may suffer are very high. By the way, the Association of European Tour Operators also called on tourists to refrain from visiting Indonesia for now.
Not only countries of the East and Africa are subject to threats of terrorism. On the eve of Thanksgiving in the United States, warnings were issued about possible terrorist attacks in the New York subway. And although the city's subway was placed under strict control, and the holiday has already passed, ahead are still Christmas and New Year, and therefore perhaps it is worth being careful for a while longer.
Of course, this will deprive tourists of the opportunity to tell brave adventure stories to friends, but are they worth a ruined vacation and nerves?