Countering terrorism

In recent times terrorists have targeted many destinations, giving them a chance to strike the tourism industry at its heart. With attacks like those in the commercial area of Jakarta, Tunisia, Turkey, Paris, Brussels and Istanbul, a question has been raised – How safe is it to travel?

While anxiety clouds the targeted areas, in the long-term, such events do not seem to affect a region at a macro-economic level. According to a WTTC research, on an average, it takes approximately 13 months for a destination to recover from a terror attack. The immediate short-term effects though can be a dampener with direct effect on hotel occupancies and decreased tourist numbers to a destination. Despite all said, tourism is a resilient sector and travellers may change their destinations but they do not tend to stop traveling as a whole. While terrorism breeds fear and divides the world, tourism is a strong force that unites people despite differences, making the world a more amicable place. Tourism can be used to counter terrorism.