Terrorism at Issue : Greece Goes to Dogs to Get Tourists

WASHINGTON —  Nearly twice as many Americans were killed by savage dogs in the United States as were killed by terrorists in Europe last year. And last year, an average year for shark attacks, only four people were killed worldwide.

These findings, issued last week by the Greek Trade and Tourism Council, are meant to put you in the mood to travel to Greece this summer.

“There’s a lot of irrational fear about travel to Europe and Greece, about the danger of terrorism,” said Alan Safran, a lobbyist representing the council. “We’re not minimizing the fact that Americans have lost their lives . . . but we’re trying to point out that it’s safer than most people think.”

Key Income Source

American travel to Greece, a major source of income for that country, plummeted last year after Arab terrorists hijacked a TWA flight to Beirut and killed one of its passengers. The hijackers boarded the plane in Athens, and the State Department charged that lax airport security was to blame.

If it makes you feel any better, only 10 Americans died at the hands of terrorists in Europe last year, out of 6.6 million travelers.

That’s far fewer people than died by choking on food, by drowning while swimming or by falling victim to bicycle accidents, the council said.

Meanwhile, Buzz Moore of the American Society of Travel Agents told reporters in London that more people die in their baths in the United States than are killed while traveling abroad, Reuters reported.