British tourist authorities predict that overseas travelers to London will not be heavily affected by bombing threats in the country's capital, Sky news reported Friday.

"We don't expect this to result in a downturn in tourists to London," said Frances Tuke, a spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel Agents

"Following the July 7 incidents, there has been no noticeable reduction in visitors to London or in forward bookings. From what we have heard, overseas visitors are being very defiant towards the terrorists, matching the mood of Londoners themselves. We expect this defiance to continue," she said.

According Tuke, tourist chiefs were still predicting a record year for the number of overseas visits to the UK.

"We are not changing our forecasts ... for the time being people have made travel plans and are sticking to them," a spokeswoman for Heathrow airport said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2005)