After the tenebrous 911 attack on the World Trade Center, which claimed scores of lives and destroyed a vast valuable property, terrorism acquired a terrifying character and rose to become a major source of global anxiety. This fateful event has had a continuous effect on tourism and future happenings will most certainly determine future trends in business travel.
Beyond newspaper headlines and media exaggeration, terrorism is an imposing reality. Statistic shows that in 2016 alone, there were about 11,072 attacks. Unfortunately, with its heart-breaking casualty rate, 2016 could only rank, modestly, as the 'third deadliest year' since 2000. Global Terrorism index claimed there was a relative reduction in the number of deaths caused by terrorism in 2016. Yet, in the same year, two third of all countries in the world experienced a terrorist attack. With these eloquent figures, it becomes obvious that terrorism is a real threat to humanity, and also poses a serious challenge to the tourism industry.
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Terrorism and its ‘horrifying presence’ have an untold effect on the overall physical, psychological, social as well as the economic well-being of man. More than that, it has a devastating effect on the state’s economy. In an interview conducted sometimes in 2016, over 60% of corporate flyers expressed a greater anxiety about corporate tour than in a year ago (2015). What could heighten this fear is that many of these attacks have been targeted on tourists or foreigners. A perfect example that asserts this claim is a mass shooting which was staged around the five-star Hotel Rui Imperial Marhaba, Tunisia, and was targeted on lodgers and tourists. Also, bombings at Brussels Zaventem airport, in March 2016, killed 32 people from around the world. After the strike, the airport was shut down and this thwarted many flights that had previously been scheduled for that day.
It is a fact that terrorism has had an impact on the tourism industry, in particular the travel business. Some of the implications of terrorism for business travel are as follows:
First, travelers no longer mix business with tourism. Chances that travelers extend business-travel to savor the sensations that come with sightseeing have reduced due to a healthy fear of the unknown, most especially since it has appeared that tourists have always been among the causalities of every strike. In fact, a 2017 study conducted among US adults found that terror warning had some (strong or average) level of influence on the touristic preferences of about 83% of respondents. Another revealing poll buttressed this when 38% of travelers involved in a study expressed that they are less likely to go sightseeing as a precaution to possible threats. While this might be a plus for companies, it may mean a miss for the traveler who might want to convert that opportunity to see fascinating places in the city of his primary assignment. In a similar development, travelers don't feel comfortable to lodge in hotels which are a major target of these bombings and shootings.
Second, companies have improved partnership with risk assessment agencies. In a bid to ensure the safety of their workers when abroad, many companies are now consulting with travel risk assessment specialists before taking almost any trip. Whenever the destination of a planned trip is an endangered zone, there is even a deeper analysis of the chances of an outbreak and risk assessment agencies will offer professional safety suggestions.
What’s more, flights could be canceled: Even though flights have been canceled on very few critical occasions, another fatal blow terrorism deal on corporate trip is the uncertainty it has brought to air flight operation. On a number of occasions, there had been the need to cancel flights regardless of the nature of the trip or its importance to passengers.
For example, after the bombings in Brussels, which injured dozens of people and killed many, several flights were canceled and the airport closed. In fact, hundreds of passengers had to be evacuated. One could hardly imagine how much damage that could have caused to some organizations, especially if such trip was a necessary necessity.
Countries have begun imposing travel bans. It was the fear of terrorism that informed President Trump's executive order that placed a ban on seven country nationals from entering the US. The immediate impact this had was an 80% decrease in flight booking in just ‘seven days’ of enforcement. Apart from the initially banned seven Arab nations, the effect became rippled, as travelers from Northern and Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa decreased their air trip to the United States.
Moreover, with the growing chances of a blast or shooting from any corner of the globe, there has been a sharp decrease in international tours. Even though some travelers remain indifferent to visiting terror-stricken zones for corporate purpose, there are still realities that are suggestive of these subtle effects. For instance, Turkey, which is one of the most popular business-travel destinations witnessed a fall in income generated from tourism after the June 28, 2016, onslaught at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul where more than 40 people were killed.
Finally, security could mean delay: With the trend of terrorist strikes, many states have moved to strengthen security in an attempt to forestall undesirable occurrences. Thus, a thorough scrutiny may be carried out on flyers in cities with recent terrorist onslaught or high terrorism profile. In fact, in recent times, almost every foreigner will have to bear through the somewhat embarrassing experience at the checkpoints on major roads. While this is a right step in the right direction, especially for the government of those states whose primary responsibility it is to protect the citizens, it could mean a delay and may be irritating to a foreigner who have flown in on a corporate purpose.
As can be seen from the information presented in this essay, the connection between terrorism and the tourism industry is clear, in particular business tourism. Unfortunately, the terrorist attacks in different cities of the world not only affected the perception of travelers about their trips, increasing the level of anxiety and anxiety, but also made significant changes in the organization of tourism activities, thereby affecting the social policy and economy of different countries.
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