Abstract
The objective of this report is to review, analyse and conclude on the impact of terrorism on tourism, which includes actual movements of tourists, spending and receipts, as well as the consequences for key industry players, such as airlines, airports, hotel companies, tour operators and destinations. It is should be realised that the impact of terrorism on tourism is not limited to the trend in arrivals in a destination immediately following the occurrence of an incident, but extends to the “reaction to the reaction” of authorities and private sector tourism enterprises to the threat of terrorism.
Examples would be restrictions on hand luggage in airports or the requirement for biometric passports. It should also be born in mind that just because arrivals at a destination continue to progress or do not decline following a terrorist act does not necessarily mean that the incident had no impact. Though difficult to estimate precisely, it is often a question of opportunity loss in terms of arrivals and receipts for the country in question. This loss can be roughly estimated through comparing a country to its sub-region or by extrapolating what the gain in arrivals and receipts would have been without the occurrence of the terrorist act, based on the trend prior to the incident.
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