Not long ago, the failure of the power supply on the cruise ship Carnival Triumph was in the news for subjecting paying customers to an ordeal at sea. Just weeks later, a hot air balloon in Egypt crashed in Luxor, killing 19 tourists, mostly Asians and Europeans on board.
Is the package travel industry taking its clientele for a ride (and not of the desirable kind)? In the case of the Egypt accident, which occurred on February 24, the balloon was in the process of landing when a fire broke out. It plunged about 300m to the ground, crashing in a sugarcane field west of Luxor. The pilot and a British tourist survived the crash by jumping out early from the balloon’s burning basket.
It has been recently reported that the balloon operator, Sky Cruises, which is used by Blue Sky travel agents who represent the UK-based Thomas Cook agency in Egypt, had been involved in an earlier mishap 18 months ago, where there were no deaths.
Commonsense dictates that safety should be an important fact of an enjoyable vacation. But vacations are more often than not, less about commonsense and more about trying out a new experience in a new land.
What happened in Egypt could possibly happen anywhere, especially in countries where tourism is a major earner.
Getting an aerial view of landmarks has become a common part of the modern package tour; it seems to add a new dimension to sights that are normally seen only from the ground. The slick travel shows on TV which use aerial photography to stunning effect only make it more tempting for the average armchair traveller.
Hot air balloons in fact are a crucial part of the history of aviation, ever since the first one was launched in 1783. Going for a hot air balloon ride, therefore, could be a “historic” event for any paying customer.
However, could this insatiable craving for novelty be compromising safety standards?
Hot-air ballooning has been banned in Egypt in the aftermath of the recent accident. But this also hits around 40 companies with 1,000 jobs in the region, including of those who are operating without incident.
Industry figures assert that the Luxor accident was a deadly exception rather than the rule. And after two years of political unrest, Egypt’s tourism industry is floundering with growth down by 22% since 2010. Visitor numbers had picked up last year to 11.5mn, but they remain far below the peak.
In such a situation, it becomes natural to suspect the intentions of the travel operators, and to wonder if some of their subsidiaries are cutting corners on safety standards.
Many of us trust our travel agents (online or in bricks-and-mortar establishments) to book us a memorable holiday. Despite the most elaborate planning, things can sometimes go tragically wrong, as the Luxor accident has shown.