Paris terror attacks perturb travel agencies in Algeria

Terror attacks that target Paris, on Friday, confuse many Algerians, who booked tickets in order to spend the New Year’s Eve in the “Eiffel Tower” and “Champs Elysée”, because Paris in on top of the list of the required cities that are chosen by Algerians to spend the New Year Celebration.

Many Algerians have booked tickets, during the past few days, in order to visit Paris, and to avoid the pressure of the last hours.

Most of the travel agencies have launched their offers on Algerians who wish to spend the “réveillon 2016” outside the country, as they launched massive offers that will be held in the French capital, which contain the largest number of the Algerian community, and the traders also fix their watches on the low offers every end of the year in France, in order to resale them in the domestic market.

However, the terrorist attacks caused panic and terror in Algeria, and made a lot think of rearranging their own agenda of the New Year Celebration, while others change their destinations.

Mrs. “Nora. Dj”, told Echorouk that she canceled, on Saturday, the tickets booking with her husband to visit Paris, after she registered at a travel agency a few days ago, she added; “We fear France will take strict measures against Muslims, and we do not want to face strict measures in the New Year’s Celebration. I think we will book tickets to visit the Turkish capital, Istanbul.”

Head of the National Association of Travel Agencies, Ilias Senousi, told Echorouk; “There is a fluctuation in the number of bookings in the tourist agencies on the national territory. I am quite certain that the travel agencies will notice law bookings, especially after the decisions that were issued by the French President on the closure of the border, and stopping the granting of the Schengen visas. This situation will not continue as it is, this is why it is just a temporary procedure, so it’s too early to count the canceled bookings and talk about changing the destinations of Algerians who have chosen Paris to celebrate the New Year’s Celebration.”

In the same context, President of the National Federation of Travel Agencies, Nadjeh Boudjenoua, spoke about holding a formal emergency meeting, on Saturday, to consider the issue after the Paris terror attacks.

“A national forum will be organized by the middle of next month, in the presence of the Tourism Minister, to discuss the current situation and to address the work and programs of the travel agencies.”