Foreign Tourism Boards Show Support for Boston

In a letter addressed to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, more than 30 foreign tourism boards expressed their support for those affected by the April 15 bombing at the Boston Marathon.

“We would like to express the solidarity and love of our countries to the families who lost their loved ones, to the people that were hurt and to the people of Boston,” reads the letter.

Pledge to promote travel to Boston
In a show of global support, the groups pledged to promote travel to Boston.

“Usually we as foreign tourism boards focus on motivating the American people, including the people of Boston, to visit the countries, regions and cities that we all represent,” it continues. “But to show our solidarity with your city, we call on the people from our countries to show their support for Boston by visiting your wonderful city.”

Members of the tourism boards said the attacks resonated on a global level.

“The terrible attack in Boston caused all of us to stop for a moment our day-to-day activities, and reach out to the people of Boston with the message that they are not alone,” said Shahar Alon, regional director of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, which co-signed the letter.

“It is sad that in today’s reality, what happened in Boston could have happened anywhere in the world. The safety of travelers is a global concern. This was an initiative of all tourism boards, and we were proud to be a part of it.”

Tourism boards which signed the letter include: Austria, Bavaria Tourism, VisitBritain, Visit China, Croatia, Cypress, CzechTourism, VisitDenmark, Definitely Dubai, VisitEngland, VisitFinland, Flanders Tourism, France, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland Travel, IncredibleIndia, Tourism Ireland, The Israel Ministry of Tourism, La Martinique, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Philippines, Visit Portugal, Romania, Spain, Visit Sweden, Switzerland and Wales.