Germans were among 20 skiers killed in 1998 when a U.S. pilot on a training mission sheared the lift cables of a gondola in an Italian mountain range, sending its occupants to their deaths. Last year, six Germans died in a bus crash in Turkey, while seven were killed in a road accident in South Africa. In far-flung locations, Germans have proven a target for local guerrillas, as shown by the continuing hostage saga of the Wallert family abducted by Philippine rebels three months ago. Only today, Indian authorities said a German tourist kidnapped by Muslin militants in Kashmir was feared dead. But with economic and labor conditions here so conducive to foreign travel, analysts say Germans are more than ready to brush off such incidents.
Pensions are very good, meaning older people have both the time and money to go abroad.
Aside from lying on a beach in Spain or Italy, the two top destinations for Germans, the country has in recent years enthusiastically taken on board the Western trend for adventure holidays and vacations in ever more exotic locations. Reinhardt said increasingly stiff competition from homegrown attractions could gradually start to weaken the lure of the foreign in a way that fear of danger has not. Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.