Culture Minister Dario
Franceschini said Thursday it was only natural that the Brussels
terror attacks should have repercussions on tourism.
Easter bookings are reportedly 20% down this year and there
have been many cancellations after the attacks that killed 32
people and injured 300.
It is "natural that the Brussels attacks should have
repercussions" on tourism," Franceschini said.
"What really has to be explained is that what terrorism
wants is precisely to make us change our way of life, to make
fear prevail, make us shut ourselves away at home. But
governments, States, must absolutely guarantee security as much
as possible and all the measures of prevention and repression,
while civil societies must show they can react, not changing
their models of living, which is exactly what the terrorists
want".
Franceschini added that security around Italy's many
cultural sites "has already been raised for several months and
our structures are doing their utmost with the police".
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