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Terrorism and Its Impact on European Tourism. Tough Time for European Tourism. The tourism industry accounts for 10 % of economic activity in the European Union It has been hard hit by the wave of terrorism within the last decade
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Tough Time for European Tourism • The tourism industry accounts for 10 % of economic activity in the European Union • It has been hard hit by the wave of terrorism within the last decade • It has been exacerbated by the Syrian refugee crisis as well
Europe = Dangerous? • People are worried that Europe is no longer a safe destination • In Europe, tourism has suffered in the wake of attacks: France's tourist sector alone has lost an estimated 270 million euros ($299 million) since late 2015
Not as Dangerous As We Think • Yes, there have been some high profile attacks • But there have been terrorist attacks in Europe for decades • It used to be mostly far-right or far-left extremists or separatists (the IRA, the Basques) • The vast majority of terrorist attacks happen in places like the Middle East
Paris Attacks Nov 13, 2015 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX1bP6odhZs&has_verified=1 2:46 • 137 killed, 368 injured • Perpetrated by the Islamic State • It was the bloodiest attack in the Western world in years, one that President Hollande called an "act of war." • A coordinated string of attacks — bombings and mass shootings — erupted at several venues across Paris, namely a soccer stadium and the Bataclan, a popular live music venue.
Charlie Hebdo Shootings – Jan 7, 2015 • 2 brothers forced their way into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris • They killed 12 people and injured 11 others The gunmen identified themselves as belonging to the Yemen branch of Al-Qaeda • The phrase “Je suis Charlie” became a common slogan of support at the rallies and in social media.
Brussels Bombings – Mar 22, 2016 • 35 killed, 340 injured • Perpetrated by the Islamic State • 3 blasts shook Brussels: two at the airport and one at a subway station near the headquarters of the European Union. ISIS was quick to claim responsibility for the suicide attacks, which brought the city to a standstill. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkceoNtuGHw 1:08
Attack on Nice, France – July 14, 2016 • 87 killed, 434 injured • Perpetrated by the Islamic State • On Bastille Day, France's national day, a large truck deliberately plowed into a large celebration in the southern coastal city of Nice. • The assailant, 31-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, was shot by police on the scene; it was later claimed that he had been "radicalized" by ISIS.
Normandy Church Attack – July 2016 • Two men stormed a French church and took five people hostage during morning Mass. • They murdered an elderly priest by stabbing him in the chest and slitting his throat. • The hostages were later freed and the two men were arrested • President François Hollande later said that the men had carried out the attack in the name of ISIS.
German Christmas Market – Dec 19, 2016 • 12 killed, 56 injured • A truck was driven into the Christmas market in Berlin • The truck's original driver was found shot dead in the passenger seat. • The perpetrator was Anis Amri, a Tunisian failed asylum seeker. • Four days after the attack he was killed in a shootout with police near Milan in Italy. IS claimed responsibility.
London attacks, March 2017 • London attacker Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing 4 and injuring many others. • The knifeman crashed his car into the railings outside Parliament, got out and ran into New Palace Yard where he stabbed a brave police officer to death. • Masood was shot dead by armed police.
Manchester Attack, May 2017 • Twenty-two people were killed and 116 injured in a suicide bombing at Manchester Arena. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAXwJT-jF94 3:17
What Is Being Done? • European governments are spending hundreds of billions of euros on enhanced domestic security and operations against the Islamic State
Bad Timing for France • France was already struggling to emerge from a long period of stagnation and high unemployment. • After the global recession of 2008, economists had forecast a long-awaited uptick in growth for 2016. • After the Paris attacks, the momentum slowed, and a slump in foreign tourism had only recently started to reverse.
French visitor levels dropped 4% in 2016 and spending by travelers slowed. • ‘This contributed to the first decline in visitors to Western Europe in many years, at a time when global tourism is growing.
Impact on Jobs • Some hotels and restaurants forced to close • At Mont-Saint-Michel business at the hotels and restaurants slumped by up to 70% after the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. It has never fully recovered. • Half of his five hotels and four restaurants were temporarily shut down and many employees have had to be let go
After the Nice attacks • Business had just started to revive when the Bastille Day massacre in Nice happened. • Hotels, museums, and chateaux have had 20% drop in visitors • Visitors to the Musee D’Orsay dropped by 40% • Sales of hotel packages down 35% • The total cost of the attacks to Parisian hotels was 146 million Euros ($216 million)
Impact on Belgium • Belgium's tourism industry has also been left reeling in the aftermath of its own terror attacks. • Hotel occupancy saw double-digit declines for months after their terror attacks • The economy has already suffered a nearly €1 billion loss in business and tax revenue
Other industries affected • Two of Europe’s largest air carriers recently slashed their profit forecasts for the year, citing repeated terrorist attacks in Europe as deterring tourists and business executives from traveling.
The attacks have also taken a toll on the luxury industry, which relies heavily on foreign tourists, especially from Asia, for European sales. Leading brands like Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Prada have reported slumping sales as high-spending tourists stay away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dan9RWWgihI “Terrorism in Europe bears the brunt of terrorism” 3 min • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzryMKp0HIE “Terrorism and Tourism in Europe” 4 min
Beyond Europe • Many Europeans themselves choose places like Egypt and Tunisia for their holidays • But those places have both had terror attacks that actually targeted tourists, so people are now avoiding these destinations
Attack in Tunisia • There has been an exodus of tourists from Tunisia after an Islamist gunman killed 38 - 30 of them thought to be British • There was a prior attack on a museum in the capital Tunis, which left 22 people months earlier • When it’s just a one-off attack, people forgive. But that changes when it’s 2 within a few months • British visitors to Tunisia dropped from 423,000 in 2010 to 360,000 in 2011 • Tunisia's tourism industry, which accounted for 15.1% of the country's GDP last year, will suffer in the short term and then recover.
Egypt • Egypt, which has experienced several years of political unrest, saw an average annual decline in UK visitor numbers of 18.5% from 2010 to 2014 • An attack in Luxor- 62 people, mostly tourists, were killed at the Egyptian archaeological site in 1997 • The attack in Sharm el-Sheikh - 88 people were killed in an attack on the Egyptian resort in 2005 by a group affiliated with al-Qaeda
The tourism industry in countries enduring long-term strife, such as Egypt, suffers more than those affected by individual terror attacks. • More experienced travellers, in search of exotic experiences, were more likely to dismiss the risk of terrorism.
Bali • Another tourist hotspot to have been the victim of terrorist attacks, in 2002 and 2005. • Before the time of the attacks, tourism had been booming • Bali - 202 people were killed and 209 injured in 2002 bombing attack on nightclubs
Impact Being Felt • Of 50,000 people in 42 countries surveyed in 2016, 15% said they would either not travel or holiday in their home country this year.
Who Benefits • The beneficiaries are destinations perceived to carry a smaller risk of becoming the target of attacks. • Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Switzerland are showing increases • Destinations in North America and the Caribbean are seeing increased demand
The Refugee Crisis • A massive influx of Syrian refugees has made many tourists avoid places like the Greek isles