Brussels Chocolate Shops See Dip in Business Following Terror Attacks

Tourism wanes in the wake of last week's deadly bombings

Last week coordinated terror attacks killed 35 people and left hundreds more injured in Brussels. As the nation of Belgium transitioned back to everyday routine, local chocolatiers prepared for an annual rush on Easter treats but instead saw a decline in customers, according to the Associated Press.

Belgians eat 17.6 pounds of chocolate every year, but a clerk at one shop called Planete Chocolat, near Brussels' main square, said she had only a handful of visitors as opposed to the usual 50 to 100 by mid-afternoon ahead of the holiday. Swannee Vranckx told the AP she was sure people would cancel their trips to the city on account of the attacks, as many did in Paris following the November attacks.

Cities tend to see dips in tourism following such events, as the International Business Times reported, with people staying away from targeted areas. Easter is usually a peak time for tourism in Brussels, but officials have expressed doubts over the immediate future of the city's economy. A handful of American chains shut down one or more of their restaurants in the wake of the Belgium attacks, and other businesses are projected to suffer the effects of the recent attacks. In France, the last of the restaurants targeted in November's terror attacks reopened last week.

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