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Britons are continuing with plans for holidays in India in the wake of the Bombay terror attacks.

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) has had “just a handful” of calls from concerned holidaymakers asking whether they should proceed with holidays.

Sean Tipton, Abta spokesman, told Times Online: “We’ve had terrorist attacks many times over the years and they don’t tend to affect British holidaymakers – they take it in their stride.”

He said that historically terrorist attacks have not affected holiday bookings, with the exception of Bali, where Foreign Office travel bans imposed on the island led to an 80 per cent drop off in tourism.

One of Britain’s largest tour operators, Thomas Cook plc, has not had any cancellations from holidaymakers with India bookings.

A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook told Times Online: “India is a big country and I think our customers are aware of that.”

Explore, which offers adventure tours in India, has also had no cancellations. A spokesman said: "At present, Explore has had no passengers request to cancel future India tours, or change to another Explore tour." He added: "If booked on tours to India that do not include Mumbai, customers wanting to cancel are currently subject to Explore’s standard cancellation penalties."

The news will be welcomed by India’s tourism authorities ahead of the country’s peak tourism season. Britain is the largest international market for India tourism, with over 734,000 visiting India every year.

India received some 5 million in 2007, up from 2.46 million in 2004, with more than one in five arriving during December and January.

Although the Foreign Office is advising Britons to avoid Bombay, also known as Mumbai, its travel advice remains the same for the rest of India, and airlines are continuing to operate flights from the UK to Bombay, and the rest of the country.

Maharashtra, the state where Mumbai is located, is a close second to Delhi as India’s most visited state, with both taking roughly a 15 per cent share of international tourism.

Anyone planning a trip to India that includes a visit to Bombay is being advised to keep an eye on news reports and the Foreign Office website for the latest developments, and also check with their travel insurance provider that they are covered with the Foreign Office advice in place.

Those booked on package holidays with a tour operator that includes time spent in Bombay should be contacted by their holiday company to make amendments to their itinerary or book an alternative holiday.

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