International tourism is crucial to strong economic development and expansion due to the phenomenal growth of international tourist arrivals overweighing national income rates. The influence of terrorist activities on travel and tourism can be vast indeed. It may cause unemployment, homelessness, accumulation of money stocks that is deflation, and many other adverse social and economic effects (Kincl & Oulehlová, 2018). Tourism’s role in several nations is of such a magnitude that any decline in industry is a source of common worry among many statesmen and women. This percussive effect is felt across other sectors of tourism allied tourism like aircraft, hoteliers, restaurants, and shops providing services to international tourists. Terrorism is a mysterious and intriguing phenomenon, and the association between tourism and it is rather multifaceted and complex to comprehend (Diriye, 2015). This essay examines the impact of terrorism on tourism through a broader economic, political, social, technological, and cultural lens in contemporary societies.
Terrorism on the international level disregards the norms of warfare and has no notion of neutral areas, thus allowing it to roam freely on any territory. This means that terrorists have resorted to carrying their most timely parochial demands to third-party countries, which could be very remote from their primary areas of operation (Asongu, 2018). In their steps, they deliberately involve innocent people, including tourists who had no ties or concerns at all with their grievances, and show their discomfort by doing that until the terrorists achieve the attention and publicity they are looking for. According to Barker (2014), as a rule, it is true that the organization of terror groups, which can pose threats to a state, can hardly be realized in countries where there are not any grievances about essential issues and where insurgent groups are not grown. Disappointments that come with events like recessions, globalization, modernization, or wars are the source of discontent for the citizens in some societies, and the radicals can gain massive support for their dissension attacks on such kinds of societies as this situation is prevailing today in Syria which has involved Iraq. The vast majority of research studies have arrived at a similar conclusion that neither the egg nor the chicken creates the terrorists.
Bandyopadhyay and Younas (2014) argue that travellers’ interest becomes a victim of political and economic instability in the target destination. It provides guarantee and redundancy but needs to ensure network safety as security threats come from many fields, especially natural disasters. Alongside tourism come the many economic benefits and international peace promotion; thus, tourism cannot be exempted from the perils of terrorism. The damage inflicted on the travel and tourism industry from terrorism can be very astonishing. Unemployment, homelessness, deflation, depression and many other maladies of social and economic nature may result. As stated by Raithatha (2017), tourism is massively significant for many countries, and any slowdown in the industry aspect brings the government a grave problem. The knock-on effects are seen in numerous stories related to tourism, including those of aircraft companies, hotels, restaurants, and shops serving customers and utensils suppliers. Terrorism is a mystifying and intriguing phenomenon which remains to be fully elucidated to date, and the actual relationship with tourism is always complex and multidimensional.
Political unrest can become a part of the tourism rate in modern society. Violent protestors on the streets and civil unrest on various levels, terrorism, veiling human rights violations and even the simple perception of a threat may drive tourists to change their travel plans. The effects produced by the political turmoil on the tourism sector are much stronger than they are of single events like assassinations and terror attacks (Ahlfeldt, 2015). A country with an increased political risk also draws tremendous interest from tourists for tourists and their income. Ghaderi (2012) points to political conditions as a significant factor affecting tourism, with particular prominence on those with instability that would endure for a long time if they affected developing countries. While the situation is volatile in the short run, the number of foreign visitors grows against the background of a particular imbalance of global interactions, the inclusion of several countries in the Middle East, and acts of terrorism, including India and Turkey. There, the short-term effects cannot be denied, even if the long-term impact of terrorism on world tourism may be a minor part.
The tourism industry, in general, directly relates to the political, legal, and financial systems. Tourism planning and travel challenges are tied to the delicate situation with political unrest, as this industry plays a vital role at the national level of economic development. In political instability, the national authorities usually deprive tourism of spending since there is always someone else to worry about (Lepp & Gibson, 2016). Here, money is always in shortage. Even though travellers get to choose plenty of destinations depending on their travel needs and knowing that political instability is a defining negative factor in most cases, it must be stressed that this ability of tourism to generate growth is relatively specific for the countries of the former Soviet Union. An admirable thing is that a country’s culture is one of the things that determine the volume of tourist inflow. However, an economic factor of a country might be the primary determinant of tourist traffic (Stafford et al., 2002). Many countries must be more depicted internationally; thus, a tourism boost is observed in just a few regions and selected cities. Some of the issues are the need for more lodging beds and significant fluctuations in the demand for the country’s tourism products.
Tourism is a way to make peace and worldly problems stay away if tourism is to be managed closely, for the tensions of migration, globalization, conflicts and poverty can be addressed by it. At that, tourism is perceived as a factor which gives impetus. It not only stabilizes the situation as it is, but it also may bring peace. Tourism has a vast potential to become the cornerstone for peace in one country and worldwide. At the same time, tourism may serve as a peace dividend (Ranabhat, 2015). Travel is seen as an inducement for contact between communities that have always been at odds, resulting in them celebrating their shared interests to attain the day-to-day management success of their local tourist economy. Tourism is a means of tackling particular issues highlighted by democracy. However, going ahead, the terrorist attacks are the factors that destabilize the country’s image as it pertains to tourism. Media coverage of terrorist stories pronouncedly aggravates individuals’ fear and belief that the area will remain unsafe and insecure in the future (Mehmood et al., 2016). The build-down of brand identity makes destinations suspicious and erodes shoppers’ confidence in them. Therefore, the number of arrivals from tourists declines, thus putting more pressure on the local economies in which such tourism-based settlements serve as a critical source of income.
In addition, terrorism breeds terrific psychological consequences which have an impact on the attitudes and choices of tourists, as a result of terrorism affecting travel preferences and behaviour. High-security bulwarks such as more surveillance and monitoring in reaction to the next terrorist cause claustrophobia and distrust among travellers. The possibility of terrorist strikes by the terrorists makes people decide on security above the exploration, where they assume the destination is friendly. Often, they opt for the already known and protected areas. Hence, holiday places are considered under threat, and preference is given to the perceived safe destinations. This leads to the further deterioration of the impact on the economic conditions of the local communities. Besley (2019) believes that the media plays an essential role in projecting public notions of terrorism and its ramifications on tourism to the masses. Media portraying these attacks with a sensationalized news outlet and graphic details can only increase the fear and stereotypes about the destinations where the attacks happened. As a byproduct, this can affect tourist behaviour and travel decisions. According to Nizami (2018), the psychosocial impact of terrorism spans the period right after a terrorist attack occurs and goes with the extended period of destination image and reputation. Sites that have terror manifestations may suffer from negative perceptions when replacing trust between possible visitors. As such, there is a likelihood that tourism will remain in that area for some period. Hence, economic hardship for local communities that depend on tourism is seen.
Technology allows information, including alerts of terror attacks, which can be picked up through various platforms, including social media, websites and mobile applications, to pass through quickly. This spontaneous transmission of information can energize perceptions of risk towards tourists and affect their travel choices, especially when they get real-time updates regarding security situations in the destination areas (Bysyuk, 2010)—technology is among the most significant pillars in crisis management and response to terrorist attacks. According to Mao (2019), Tourism administrations and responsible destination organizations employ digital avenues, communication channels, and mobile apps to inform people amid emergencies via issue notifications, safety instructions, and evacuation support, among other activities. Moreover, social media platforms provide opportunities for face-to-face interaction with an audience, thus improving the frequency of information flow and ensuring that authorities address inquiries and offer assistance without delay (Ardahaey, 2011).
The mass emergence of online travel technology providers and booking websites has transformed the booking and planning scene of a traveller using online travel. As for the uncertain event of terrorist incidents, there is the potential to affect travel plans and probably would make some tourists lose interest in venturing into some destinations, thus resulting in a rise in online searches and last-minute cancellation of other options (Muthoni, 2021). Web travel agencies and travel booking platforms could be exposed to ups and downs of travel demand and profit after terrorist attacks, given that they connect the three spheres: technology, terrorism, and tourism.
Liu (2017) argues that terrorist activities can bring about heavy economic hazards for tourist destinations due to decreased tourist arrivals, revenue losses, and job cuts in the tourism best dubbed the tourism sector. Companies like hotels and restaurants may fall in demand, and financial difficulties result from terrorist threats. Other businesses, such as tour operators and souvenir markets, also experience less profits. Also, it is essential to pay attention to the fact that the tourism sector may play an important role in the growth of the economy of many countries. Any damage caused by terrorism may have grave consequences for the GDP and the employment levels of the country’s economy.
Meindl (2018) believes that the reputation of the tourist attractions damaged by terrorist attacks may make those places appear unsafe and unappealing to the outside world, making them less attractive. The media campaigns that promote negative information and the travel advisories issued by governments can only worsen the travellers’ perception of the risk. They may not visit the areas where such occurrences took place. Destinations will find it difficult to reestablish trust and strengthen the broken reputation. This challenging and prolonged task needs to be dealt with through active marketing campaigns and investment in branding and promotions of destinations. The fear and anxiety brought about by terrorism unsettle the tourists, and they tend to develop a resentment for trips and a perception that they may be imperilled and lose their lives. The travellers might cross the red line of stress and insecurity, triggering unpredictable travel behaviour such as cancellation, rerouting, or avoiding seemingly high-risk destinations. The mental impact may have long-lasting effects on visitors’ opinions of selected places and their eagerness to travel.
In conclusion, tourism, the most unpredictable industry in the world, often suffers from various elements interfering with its smooth course, like political turmoils, financial crises, natural disasters, technological crime, and epidemics, to mention a few of the negative factors it experiences. In recent years, terrorist attacks have been a frequent experience in contemporary society, and the attention they get from the media only brings about more tension among people. Numerous countries and destinations are now facing terrorist attacks that severely jeopardize the region’s tourism industry. However, businesses such as hotels that draw their income from tourism perceive the rise in terrorism as a newly present problem, which is alarming.
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