Lockerbie bomber's release affects U.S. tourism
American travellers have started cancelling their planned vacations in Edinburgh amidst the initial indications of tourism backlash about the decision of letting the Lockerbie bomber free.
After the controversial ruling made by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to free Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, hotels located in the capital have been losing bookings as anger in the United States continues to rise and demands to “boycott Scotland” increase.
One particular hotel, the Roxburghe, stated that it has received five cancellations during the past five days, which include a group of American businessmen bound to visit the nation next spring.
Many people fear about the impact of this ruling on U.S. travel visits — which contributed approximately £90 million to the economy of Lothian in 2008 — but claim that it won’t be clear after the Festival season.
VisitScotland, the national tourism entity of Scotland, also declared that it had received emails from American tourists cancelling their visits and ignoring Scottish products.
It is now plainly understood that a fresh plan is crucial in the U.S. to fight the bad publicity.
Chris Wayne-Wills, manager of the Roxburghe hotel, stated: "We had cancellations for next month and a party of 18 have cancelled a trip they had planned for next March. The Megrahi decision has definitely had an effect, all of the cancelling parties cited his release as the reason they were not coming".