Dip in consumer confidence hitting holiday bookings

Shockwaves are rippling through the travel industry in the wake of Tuesday's attacks on the United States and in the long term, there are concerns that it will not only be the airlines which will be hit financially. While airlines are expected to turn to the travel industry to help restore consumer confidence in air travel, independent tour operators are hoping that bookings will bounce back. Despite the Majorcan Tourist Board's high hopes that bookings to the Balearics, and other alternative European destinations will pick up with holidaymakers staying away from the States, some of the UK and Germany's leading tour operators have been reporting a noticeable drop in bookings as a whole over the past two days. For destinations such as the Balearics, there were already concerns over winter and summer 2002 bookings prior to the attacks which have grounded millions of people not prepared to travel anywhere for the time being.