London safe for tourists -- so far

By Rebecca Ruiz, Senior editor, msnbc.com

The riots that have shaken London for the past three days have yet to upend the city's tourism industry.

Fiona Laurent, a spokesperson for the mayor's office, told msnbc.com that the Millennium Wheel and British Museum were among the popular destinations to remain open and unscathed since violence broke out late Saturday.

"London has a proud history of resilience as well as hospitality and the city remains open for business," Laurent said. "It is important to note that recent incidents have occurred away from the capital's major visitor attractions, which continue to operate and attract thousands of people from across the world." Most tourist attractions and business districts are located in central London.

As riots continued in London for a third night, the violence has now spread to several other British cities. Prime Minister David Cameron returned early from his vacation to deal with the escalating violence, looting and arson. ITN's Damon Green reports.

The concentration of violence in low-income suburban areas has persuaded Travel Security Services, a joint venture between International SOS?and Control Risks, to tell its clients that travel to London and the UK is safe at the moment.

"We?re not advising that our members, many of whom are business travelers, cancel their trips at this moment, unless their hotel or office happens to be located near one of the areas where riots have occurred," said Rob Walker of Travel Security Services. "In traditional tourist areas and the central city of London, during the day, there is little risk."

The State Department has not issued a travel warning for London -- it normally does so for countries, not cities -- but the U.S. embassy in London has issued guidelines for tourists on its website. Among other safeguards, the embassy urges U.S. citizens to follow local media reports, leave sites of civil unrest and to not engage in debate with rioters.

Walker said that by mid-Tuesday the company had received about 50 calls from corporate clients and individual travelers worried about the riots. It is a significant spike compared to the usual volume, but by comparison, the company received between 300 and 350 calls on days following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.

Major U.S. travel insurance companies, Travel Guard and Access America, said they had yet to receive a significant number of inquiries from customers related to the rioting.

Tim Arthur, editor of Time Out London, has been closely monitoring the situation and said that the borough of Camden "was probably the most iconic area of town to be affected." Camden is home to the London zoo, the Keats' House, the Freud museum and the famous Camden market. Arthur had not heard of reports of damage to these and other tourist attractions.

Arthur said there were concerns that the rioting might spread to the West End, a popular destination for tourists who want to see Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery as well as theater productions. The BBC reported that while some theaters had canceled performances, those in the West End would go on.

Arthur said tourists in London should stay apprised of the quickly-evolving situation and find reliable sources for frequent updates. Trusting Twitter and Facebook, he said, could be dangerous as many false rumors about fires, deaths and looting have spread quickly through both social networking sites. He also recommended consulting the city's Transport for London website, which tracks all public transportation closures.

"Rumors have been generated out of electronic ether," Arthur said. "The key is not to get caught up in the kind of tide of gossip and fear that the social networking sites can foster."

London is a proud city of stature, wielding power and attitude. From its Roman core to its Olympic edges, ancient abbeys to iconic skyscrapers, Lonely Planet takes you through the city's highlights.

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Rebecca Ruiz is a senior editor at msnbc.com. Follow her on Twitter.

Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/09/7318614-london-safe-for-tourists-so-far

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