Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 22, 1993 TAG: 9309220096
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ST. LOUIS LENGTH: Short
"We definitely have to put a stop to this," said Earlene Causey, president of the American Society of Travel Agents, in a keynote address at the start of the group's five-day convention.
In attendance were about 5,000 travel agents as well as representatives from airlines, cruise lines, hotel chains and car rental companies.
Causey said a national summit would bring together law enforcement and government to discuss how to keep travelers safe.
A German and a British tourist were shot to death in their unmarked rental cars in separate attacks this month in Florida. Eight other foreigners have been killed in the state since October.
"It's a tragedy and something needs to be done and done quickly, but the emphasis needs to be how to travel safely and smartly," said Paul Ruden, the Alexandria, Va.-based society's senior vice president of legal and industry affairs.
He said a summit would help focus attention on the economic importance of the travel industry. Some officials have estimated tourism revenue in Florida could drop 20 percent because of the killings.
Ruden said he doubted the killers in the two recent cases were specifically targeting tourists.
The attacks are part of a bigger problem, he said, that of a "growing underclass without hope. That's the breeding ground for people who don't respect human life."
by CNB