Tourism in Crisis: Managing the Effects of Terrorism [Summary]

Accepting the permanence of terrorism and regional political problems is a requisite to managing them. This is pertinent not only for governments of nations afflicted with terrorism or political disturbances and tourist-generating nations but also for the international tourism industry. When the tourism industry experiences negative events caused by natural disasters, greater public and industry understanding and tolerance are invoked. But, human-caused events, especially those involving political violence, trigger public outrage or intimidation. Although the problem at hand is exceptionally complex, the hope for effective and applicable solutions lies in additional research and cooperative efforts of practitioners, government agencies, and academicians. It is high time for the academic community and tourism industry to view these problems as crises in need of management rather than periodic problems. Clearly, a tourism crisis can begin after a disaster of some type (i.e., terrorist attack) occurs and can continue to escalate with negative media coverage and ruined image, as visitation and expenditures plummet—possibly destroying the profitability of a tourism community.

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