from the harrowing experiences of the Tunisian Inquest to my paying respects at the Memorial in Brussels Airport.

Exactly a week before the terrifying attack on Westminster Bridge, almost to the exact time, I was walking along the very same side of that Bridge, where so many people lost their lives or were seriously injured.

It is a walk I often take whilst I am waiting to go into Parliament as part of my Consumer duties. As I walked along the bridge that day, in glorious sunshine, I took in the familiar river scene of the Thames ferry boats busy to-ing and fro-ing between the different jetties; the bridge is a focal point for tourists, coming to the heart of a country that has throughout the decades exported its culture and ideas. The sound of bagpipes, laughter and joy from the many Nationalities, peppered by street 'artists' makes up the life of the bridge; it is an ambience and experience that I have gladly consumed many times.

This activity takes place under the iconic gaze of Big Ben and as I walked off the bridge and toward Parliament square, the volume of tourists presents its own Olympic challenge through the selfie stick hurdles! As you reach the edge of Big Ben, you have to walk through a chicane of concrete and metal bollards which act as a boundary to the Palace of Westminster. Walk no further than 20 metres and those bollards stop; the Palace is then guarded by a perimeter wall and high ornate metal fence. Several weeks previously, I had stopped at this fence taking photographs for use in my Consumer articles. Next to me were many tourists, straining through the grills to get that unique photo or arching up to get an acute angle shot of Big Ben; it was at this spot that Khalid Masood crashed his car into the fence, having again seriously injured a number of people including one police officer, who has suffered with life-altering injuries.

As you turn into Parliament Square, the throng of tourists seem to increase as they scurry towards Big Ben, Downing Street or Westminster Abbey. I walked past the gate where ministerial cars sweep in across the cobbles into New Palace Yard, guarded by Police Officers, some carrying weapons. Holidaymakers tend to congregate around this gate and many have their photographs taken with the London ‘Bobby'; a personal memory of the London scene.

When you enter Parliament you are security checked in exactly the same way as you pass through an airport. Once through, a short walk leads to the main entrance of Westminster Hall, passing the cobbled area where PC Keith Palmer was brutally felled and lost his life. Metres from those cobbles lies Westminster Hall; a magnificent but bare space, where the Courts of Justice held forth and where Kings have laid in State and global politicians have addressed Members of Parliament.

I could take you on a similar journey, recounting my experiences, through the cities of Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, New York, Johannesburg, Abu Dhabi and San Francisco. Each would tell the tale of normal tourist activity; all trying to secure that precious memory, to make a connection with a culture, sharing the human experience; for that is surely what tourism is about?

I have often said that Tourism is the ultimate expression of trade and friendship between two countries; it is an invitation to share the very best of a country and sometimes the very worst. It is an experience like no other, but it merely represents what man has done for a millennia, to set out and explore. Tourism changes lives and enriches our knowledge, it adds to our personal joy and connection with another culture; we cannot say we know that culture from our brief experiences, but we have glimpsed into a part of their soul.

Tourism also has a soft under-belly, open to the cruelty of those who seek to terrorise through their criminal intent. But if there is one thing I have learned in recent years is that when the sorrow and grief subsides, the rhetoric that 'we must not give into terror'holds no sway in the vacuum that follows. I have long advocated that we need to think seriously about how we protect our public spaces, particularly through zoning. Following the attack at Brussels airport, that is exactly what was done and there is a need to spread that methodology throughout our societies. Sure, you can never stop the lone wolf, but you can make it more difficult and it presents the message that contrary to the goal of making us feel frightened, we will adapt and offer a defiant gesture that will not be misunderstood.

At the heart of our safety is our Police, Politie, Polizei, Gendamarie and so on. We have a responsibility to also keep them as safe as possible and design a security that offers solutions to achieve that goal. Wherever I travel, I am reassured by their presence, they are like modern day Knights of old; in times of crisis they are there, courageous, true and bold.

So as we come to terms with the awful events of 22 March 2017, exactly one year after Brussels and think about how to better protect our daily lives and the Tourism product, I am compelled to pay tribute to all those who were killed or injured but in particular PC Keith Palmer - Requiescat in Pace Eques Auratus - Rest in Peace Knight.

(First Published on 10 April 2017)