TOURISM officials in Wiltshire are fighting to attract more visitors from Britain and abroad to the county next year, fearing there could be a fall in tourists following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Even before the atrocity, the industry was reeling in the county. Numbers of American visitors had dropped by 25 per cent since the foot and mouth crisis began in February and the strong pound had also taken its toll.

But Wiltshire tourism officials and businesses say that since September 11 some Americans had cancelled trips to the county in the run-up to Christmas because they were fearful of flying.

Dot Williams, manager of Wiltshire Tourism, based at County Hall in Trowbridge, said there was no indication yet if next season's overseas tourism trade had been affected.

She said: "It's a crystal ball situation. We just don't know how next season's overseas market will turn out. The situation tends to affect people who fly long haul. If we don't have any more atrocities or bombings, hopefully the overseas markets will re-appear."

Now tourism officials are gearing up for the fight back. They are setting up a meeting with American journalists in New York early next year in the hopes of attracting publicity for Wiltshire.

They are also set to build on a tourism drive held in August when 25 leading US tour operators were taken on a tour of the sights of the south west, including Wiltshire.

All of the 25 operators are to be sent the latest copy of the Welcome to Wiltshire brochure, which is due to be published on Saturday with a print run increased from 60,000 to 100,000.

Mrs Williams was optimistic that Americans would return to Wiltshire, which receives about 250,000 foreign visitors a year.

She said: "The American tour operators who came on the visit to Wiltshire were so impressed with it. If they can still garner the US market we still have a chance of bringing them here.

"Our Welcome to Wiltshire brochures are published on December 15 and once we get them we will be writing to all of the US operators who came over and visited, and American contacts who have made inquiries and bookings."

Wiltshire, which has seen an increase in Japanese visitors since February, should get a further boost because the county is being included for the first time in a guide for overseas visitors featuring Bath and Bristol. A total of 100,000 of these guides have been produced and are being sent to the US.

Visitors from Britain have not been forgotten. Mrs Williams said: "We will be trying to attract as many domestic visitors as we can with a variety of promotions, including our own Welcome to Wiltshire brochure and we will be putting on a big families promotion before Easter."

Picturesque Lacock has been hard hit by the decline in the tourist industry this year. Despite the village's having a key role in the Harry Potter film, many small businesses have suffered as a result of foot and mouth, the strong pound, and the terrorist attacks.

The Sign of the Angel pub noticed a dropping off in trade during the summer months, usually the busiest time of the year. Cara Briggs, from the pub, said it went quiet. "Most definitely the foot and mouth outbreak did affect us," she said.

"The situation is not so bad now, and with Christmas approaching things are picking up quite nicely."

The decline in tourists has also been felt in scenic Castle Combe. Sally Merrick, manager of the White Hart, said business was still slow.

"It is generally a quiet time of year, but usually you can't find a parking space in the village, and right now there are ten spaces outside."

She said the village was quiet over the summer, because of foot and mouth. "We would probably have about 75 coaches visiting the village but we were down by about 20, and the coaches were bringing around 20 people each, rather than 40 to 50.