Terrorism on Tourism
What are the impacts of terrorism on tourism?
The economic importance of tourism is undeniable. The impact of terrorism on a countries economy may be enormous. In an information free society, tourists might travel to destinations regardless of whether a terrorism threat exists or not. However, few information free societies exist. Via different forms, terrorism generates attention, which, when relayed back to tourists, has an impact on travel plans. Taken as a collective, these decisions affect tourism levels, which generates an additional question to consider. Does the level of reported terrorist activity have an impact on tourism? In the last decades, the world has been increasingly threatened by terrorism. On September 11 2001 there was a series of coordinated terrorist suicide attacks. This has been the most influential act of terrorism affecting the travel and tourist industry in the 21st century. However these attacks weren’t targeted specifically at the tourist industry unlike the attacks on Bali but their economic impact on the industry was far more substantial overall due to the sheer size of the attacks and the effect it had on tourist’s behaviour. (DiMarco, 2007)
The attacks on the world trade centre in New York resulted in 4 million less international arrivals worldwide in 2001 in comparison to the previous year. This obviously indicates an element of fear introduced and an unwillingness to fly particularly on transatlantic flights showing that the tourist industry was affected on a global scale not just in America. (Fuller, 2003) American foreign travel to the USA was most affected with visits falling by 20%. In terms of the passenger numbers the short term affect was reasonably catastrophic for the airline companies. Passenger numbers for the principal New York airports suffered a drop to 38,456,239 in 2002 compared to 44,166,012 in 2001. (Frankel, 2001). After 9/11 Tourism in the US plummeted by nearly one third in the following months.
The economic importance of tourism is undeniable. The impact of terrorism on a countries economy may be enormous. In an information free society, tourists might travel to destinations regardless of whether a terrorism threat exists or not. However, few information free societies exist. Via different forms, terrorism generates attention, which, when relayed back to tourists, has an impact on travel plans. Taken as a collective, these decisions affect tourism levels, which generates an additional question to consider. Does the level of reported terrorist activity have an impact on tourism? In the last decades, the world has been increasingly threatened by terrorism. On September 11 2001 there was a series of coordinated terrorist suicide attacks. This has been the most influential act of terrorism affecting the travel and tourist industry in the 21st century. However these attacks weren’t targeted specifically at the tourist industry unlike the attacks on Bali but their economic impact on the industry was far more substantial overall due to the sheer size of the attacks and the effect it had on tourist’s behaviour. (DiMarco, 2007)
The attacks on the world trade centre in New York resulted in 4 million less international arrivals worldwide in 2001 in comparison to the previous year. This obviously indicates an element of fear introduced and an unwillingness to fly particularly on transatlantic flights showing that the tourist industry was affected on a global scale not just in America. (Fuller, 2003) American foreign travel to the USA was most affected with visits falling by 20%. In terms of the passenger numbers the short term affect was reasonably catastrophic for the airline companies. Passenger numbers for the principal New York airports suffered a drop to 38,456,239 in 2002 compared to 44,166,012 in 2001. (Frankel, 2001). After 9/11 Tourism in the US plummeted by nearly one third in the following months.