Travel: Tours for the trigger happy?

PITY the poor tourist. The list of places considered suitable to visit continues to dwindle, with British tour operators cancelling holidays in India because of the plague.

Statistics suggest that it is a lot more dangerous visiting the US than India but companies seem happy to carry on selling holidays to America. The large number of attacks on tourists in the US means some operators are inserting warnings in their brochures.

Getaway Vacations comments: 'Visitors to the US may sometimes be concerned about their safety due to the levels of crime in the larger cities.'

Given the rash of killings involving visitors to the US, anyone who is not concerned about personal safety has probably been on another planet. So keen are the Americans on the right to bear arms that, in 1992, handguns killed 13,220 people. What action, then, does Getaway Vacations suggest to minimise danger? The recommendation is as unhelpful as it is bland: 'We would like to advise passengers to exercise due care and common sense at all times whilst on holiday.'

A lot of people seem to be exercising due care and common sense and avoiding the place altogether. The latest figures published by the US authorities show a fall in arrival numbers from every European country.

The one exception is Belgium, which shows a 0.3 per cent increase. Whatever its popular image abroad might be, Belgium is clearly a nation of thrill-seekers.