The global travel market has proven remarkably resilient to terrorist attacks and other geopolitical events, with the industry poised to expand further going forward, Charlie Ballard, the Global Director of Strategic Insights at TripAdvisor, said at the ITB Convention in Berlin.

Ballard pointed to data gathered by TripAdvisor that showed a quick rebound in searches and clicks for hotels and countries in various European countries in the days immediately following terror attacks.

"There is little visible effect of terrorism on tourism anywhere in Europe following these attacks,” he said. The attacks in Paris in November 2015 had “zero effect” on visitors’ interest in France overall, for example.

And the same pattern held for other countries and cities like Barcelona that have suffered similar attacks in recent years.

“Even in London, where we saw three attacks in a short time, nothing stands out in the data,” said Ballard.

Ballard said TripAdvisor’s data likewise debunked the myth of the “45 Effect” — the November 2016 election of Donald Trump as the 45th US President — having an impact on tourism to the United States.

“There’s been no apparent decline in viewing traffic for the US and no real decrease even when domestic US travelers are excluded from the data,” said Ballard.

TripAdvisor’s data does show a decline in the US’s share of total global interest in recent years, Ballard said. But this trend started long before the most recent election, and is more likely the result of factors like stronger growth in markets like China and other Asian countries, he explained.

“The US market just isn’t as big as it was, and this trend will probably continue,” he added.

Still, TripAdvisor’s data suggests the global travel market’s prospects for the future look bright, said Ballard.

“The world of travel only continues to grow, and it’s a great industry to be a part of at this time” said Ballard. “We are still not afraid.”

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