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The "atmosphere of terror" hovering over Southeast Asian tourist destinations hasn't dampened local travelers' enthusiasm, but tour agencies are concerned about possible fallout on business during the Spring Festival holiday season in early February. Shanghai Daily learned from three major local travel agencies there has been no marked decline in the number of Shanghainese registering for tours in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. This despite several cases of arson and bomb attacks in Thailand last month, which came on the heels of dozens of explosions in Indonesia and the Philippines. But few locals have registered for package tours to Indonesia or the Philippines since mid-October, said Bao Youpei of Shanghai International Travel Service Co. "It's a slack season at present, and the drop in the number of tourists might not be very discernible. "But if the Spring Festival doesn't see a recovery in tours to Indonesia and the Philippines, the two destinations might be off-limits for the next one or two years,'' said Bao. At Shanghai China International Travel Service, more than 300 locals have gone on trips to Thailand in the past three weeks, the same number as last year. After the Bali explosion on October 12 which killed 189 people, most tourists canceled their package tours to Indonesia. The city's travel agencies decided to suspend group tours to the popular island at least until next year, citing safety reasons. Low travel fares also help maintain business. "Package tours to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are much cheaper," said Chen Suiqin with Shanghai China Travel Service. For instance, a four-day trip to Phuket, the popular Thai resort, costs 3,300 yuan (US$398) at Shanghai China International Travel Service. In comparison, a five-day tour to Bali is priced at some 7,500 yuan, while it takes more than 5,000 yuan for a five-day trip to the Philippines. "Why should I spend so much to take a risk? I would rather go to Phuket," said Jim Xia with a consulting firm. The Indonesian Tourism Business Society plans a hard promotion at the China International Travel Mart to be held in town next Thursday.