Tourism and Terrorism - Assignment Example

Tourism and Terrorism Question One Introduction This report deals with an analysis of the impact of terrorism on the tourism industry. Tourism has been impacted the most due to terrorism. As such, terrorism can have a tremendous impact upon the tourism industry. Some of the adverse effects of terrorism upon tourism are; homelessness, unemployment, and several other economic and social disadvantages. Tourism’s contribution to a nation is of such great extent that any deterioration in it can seriously affect the economy of that nation. Hence, the governments of the nations, targeted by terrorism, should formulate policies and adopt security measures that can successfully counter terrorist attacks on tourism industry. Question Two Challenges at the Root of the Problem Terrorism constitutes a deliberate action that attempts to transform government policies. It is not an instance of typical warfare, wherein the disputants attempt to annihilate each other militarily. Terrorist organisations undertake cost and benefit analysis for formulating their actions. Thus, terrorist groups assess the cost involved in engaging or not engaging in some particular action. From this point of view, there are significant similarities between the formal studies of terrorism and the instrumental approach to terrorism. The rational choice studies of terrorism contend that terrorists are rational individuals who take decisions in strategic interactions with other entities[Özg08]. A common feature of international tourism and terrorism is that they traverse international borders. In addition, they engage citizens of different nations, and make extensive use of travel and communications technology. It has to be necessarily acknowledged that tourism and terrorism are correlated in the contemporary era. This stems from the importance of the tourism industry[Ran14]. Terrorist attacks on tourist places produce extensive economic and social damage. The disenfranchised and the politically infirm have very few means at their disposal for achieving their objectives, as the normal population attaches very little importance to their opinion. It is this state of affairs, which makes these people regard terrorism as an attractive option for realising their aims. Thus, political change can be made a component of the agenda, due to terrorism. Moreover, violence can be promoted, when there is no opportunity for political participation in a society [Bak141]. Several factors have been identified as the contributors towards terrorist acts. For instance, economic globalisation, which produces inequality among and within nations. Globalisation, per se, provides several advantages to a nation. However, every group in the nation does not obtain the same benefit from globalisation[Bak141]. In addition, economic recessions and depressions produce economic apprehension and frustration. This could lead to the development of terrorism. Moreover, modernisation and globalisation could subject societies to enormous stress, and produce significant challenges to the local culture and produce anxieties in society[Bak141]. Question Three Impact of Terrorism Challenges to Tourism The 21st century economy is dominated by the tourism, telecommunications, and information technology industries. Nevertheless, tourism is important as it provides 10% of the global employment. Tourism is a major source of income for several nations, such as Albania, Croatia, and Cyprus. As such, tourism activity has considerable economic significance[Alt14]. Tourists regard safety as being of paramount importance. Several research works have established that terrorism, wars, and other events that compromise the safety of the tourists have a major adverse impact upon tourism[Alt14]. Due to terrorist activity, other sectors of the economy are also affected. In this manner, every sector of the economy is affected by terrorism. From this perspective, the objective behind the acts of a terrorist organisation is to attain some political purpose. Moreover, this approach states that violence is deliberate on the part of a terrorist organisation. This is in marked contrast to some of the other perspectives, such as the psychological theories, which denote violence as the aim of terrorist organisations. Moreover, terrorists are not mentally imbalanced persons, who undertake violence for its sake. Instead, terrorism constitutes a device for these entities to realise their political objectives. As a consequence, governments and other entities are regarded as rivals who engage in strategic action[Özg08]. It is the aim of a terrorist organisation to alter the other entities’ actions, decisions, and policies by employing force. Case Study On 1 October 2005, suicide bombers struck in Bali, Indonesia, and there were three nearly simultaneous incidents, by Islamic terrorists. The explosive devices were housed in backpacks and consisted of aluminium, chlorate, and sulphur. These detonations were in restaurants located in Kuta Square and Jimbaran Bay. The injured in these blasts numbered 130 and the dead 20[Roy131]. These events had a significant impact upon the number of tourists visiting Indonesia. The Indonesian authorities undertook concerted efforts to reassure tourists and to gain their confidence. Thus, several promises were made to improve security and to provide discounts[Hen03]. The bombings in Bali had an adverse effect upon the handicraft and tourism industry of that place. In addition, it affected other areas of Indonesia, such as West Nusa Tenggara and Yogyakarta. There was a steep increase in the cost of raw materials, and the fuel price was enhanced by the Indonesian government. Subsequent, to the second bombing attack, it was feared that the number of tourists visiting Bali would reduce substantially. Moreover, officials of the tourism department stated that the Bali bombings would severely affect tourism in West Nusa Tenggara, due to the fact that a large number of the tourists to that place had to enter that province through Bali[Dar05]. In addition, most of the individuals killed in the bomb attacks in Bali were from Australia. This was a tactical attack to promote a terrorist objective. In addition, it proved to be a crucial strategic blow for Indonesia. This attack was perpetrated by the fundamentalist Muslims. The purpose of this attack was to prevent the influx of Western influences into the nation. In addition, it was a direct threat to the Hindu population of the region from the Muslim terrorists[Sur09]. As such, these bombings are a crucial threat to the nations of the region. Several of these countries are home to fundamentalist and radical Muslims. These nations pose a palpable danger to non-Muslims, especially the people from the Western nations. These countries include, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. As a result, Australia, UK and the US have cautioned their citizens about visiting these nations[Sur09]. Tourism to this region, in the aftermath of the Bali bombings, has reduced drastically, and this debilitating situation had been discussed in the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations It has been observed that any impact upon tourism affects several other related industries, such as restaurants, shops, hotels, and airlines. In addition to the tourism industry, terrorism affects the sectors of the economy that are associated with the tourism industry[Bak141]. The domestic population of Bali had benefitted tremendously, on account of tourism. Question Four Conclusions and Recommendations It has been acknowledged that terrorism constitutes a response to external stimuli, specifically the actions of the government. It has been contended that an enhancement in the cost of conducting terrorist acts or a decrease in the benefit derived from violence tends to reduce their incidence. Some scholars have described terrorism as the outcome of an organisation’s attempt to survive, especially in an environment that is competitive. It is essential to realise that tourists react to a place on the basis of their perception of risk involved with that place. In addition, the concerned authorities have to take all possible steps to safeguard the tourist. The following measures have to be adopted to promote tourism. First, visitor protection, which will require law enforcement agencies and the security professionals to be proficient in protecting visitors from the locals who could cause them harm, from other visitors who travel for the purpose of engaging in crime, and dishonest staff members. Second, ecological management. This requires the safeguarding of the ecology of the area. In addition to the physical ecology, protection has to be extended to the cultural ecology of the area. Third, protection of staff, which is significant because a tourism industry that ignores the safety and welfare of its workers will fail to survive, in the long run. Fourth, economic protection, which is a critical feature of tourism. This is due to the crucial importance of tourism as an income generator at the local and national levels. Finally, reputation protection has to be ensured. This involves protecting tourists from crimes and terrorist acts. The presence of such disquieting features serves to destroy the tourist industry of that place. It can be surmised that terrorism affects the tourism industry indiscriminately, in the nations of the world. After the bombing attacks in Bali, tourism of that nation suffered tremendously. The loss of jobs in the tourisms industry of Indonesia had been estimated at a million. As such, terrorism plays havoc with the economic development of a nation. Moreover, it drastically damages the reputation of the affected place. Consequently, governments should be extremely cautious of these attacks and make policies and adopt security measures that can address these issues successfully. References Özg08: , (Özgür, 2008, p. 92), Ran14: , (Ranga & Pradhan, 2014, p. 30), Bak141: , (Baker, 2014, p. 61), Bak141: , (Baker, 2014, p. 60), Alt14: , (Altindag, 2014, p. 1), Alt14: , (Altindag, 2014, p. 2), Özg08: , (Özgür, 2008, p. 91), Roy131: , (Royds, 2013, pp. 141-142), Hen03: , (Henderson, 2003, p. 41), Dar05: , (Darma Putra & Hitchcock, 2005, pp. 67-68), Sur09: , (Suryani, Page, Lesmana, Jennaway, & Basudewa, 2009, p. 1317), Bak141: , (Baker, 2014, p. 58), Read More