ABSTRACT
Globalization has given terrorist networks a platform to organize, plan and orchestrate cross border or international terrorist attacks. While tourism generates loads of money in addition to promoting international cohesion, it‘s not immune from terrorism and terror attacks. The impact of terrorism on the travel and tourism industry can be enormous. It can lead to unemployment, homelessness, deflation, depression and many other social and economic ills. The contribution of tourism for many countries is so great that any downturn in the industry is a cause of major concern for many governments. The repercussions are felt in many other industries associated with tourism like airlines, hotels, restaurants and shops that cater to the tourists and allied services. Terrorism is an enigmatic and compelling phenomenon, and its relationship with tourism is complex and multifaceted. This study looks at the effect of terrorism on tourism in Africa in the 21st century: a case study of Nigeria. The study focused on the following objectives; to establish the impact of terrorism on global tourism; to evaluate the effects of terrorism on local stakeholders in the tourism industry and to determine and analyze the mitigation strategies adopted by the government to deal with terror in the tourism industry. The study found that Tourism is a provider of employment and economic prosperity in many countries including Nigeria, the tourism industry must be able to remain resilient in the face of adversity. Majority of the respondents indicated that their businesses were affected by terrorism which has caused a reduction of number of tourists visiting the country. It also caused unemployment due to reduced visitors which reduced the productivity of the industry. The study also found out that terrorists, do not only target tourists but will use opportunity available to attack them. With the effect of terrorism on tourism being seen, the study sought to know the mitigation strategies put in place by the government to deal with it. It was found out that despite the various counter terror strategies by the government, there was still room for improvement to rescue. Majority of the respondents suggested the government should do more to deal with terrorism and to save the tourism industry in Nigeria.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
The 21st century is one characterized by more connectivity than at any other point in human history. Advancements in transport and communication over millennia has made human existence so interconnected and interdependent that it‘s no longer possible to conceive the word as made up of non-interacting units and systems. Globalization has decimated national boundaries making the long aspired international community a reality. As such, global travel has become widespread, both for business and leisure, but so has other activities like terrorism.
Tourism is a major foreign currency earner and a key contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of many nations; it‘s observed that it‘s vibrant in peaceful and politically stable environments. Terrorism on the other hand, is geared towards creating fear and uncertainty for social political ends. Inevitably terrorism has big role to play in the success or lack thereof in the key tourism sector.
1.2 Background
Tourism and terrorism are two diametrically opposed terms; they cannot exist together, indeed, they‘re two worlds apart. Tourism connotes living, delight and relaxation whereas terrorism depicts feelings and images of death, horror and annihilation.[1] Travel is an integral part of tourism, tourists move from one location to another to satisfy varied desires. With safety being a concern for each and every human being, it follows that tourists would rather avoid destinations that cannot adequately guarantee their safety and security from threats including terrorism, natural disasters and other man made calamities like war. Terrorism compared to natural or human made disasters is the most disheartening of all threats of danger for tourists.[2] Indeed, many analysts have indicated that terrorism has the most pronounced overall effect on the tourism and travel industry. Terrorism seeks to create terror and fear in the minds of the people, this is precisely why it has such an advance effect on tourism as it interferes with one of the most basic needs of human beings, that of security. According to Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs, security is a basic need that supersedes that of leisure; accordingly tourism suffers where security cannot be guaranteed.
The effect of terrorism is immediately felt in a country‘s economy more so where tourism is a major activity. A reduction in the number of visitors to tourist attraction sites has the inevitable implications revenue and jobs losses for governments and stakeholders in the tourism industry. It must however be noted that terrorism alone would rarely bring the economy of a country to its knees[3] more so for the highly diversified economies of the 21st century. While terrorism may not bring down an entire economy, its effects cannot be assumed especially when attacks take place in developing and relatively poor countries and tourists come from the developed and relatively wealthy countries.
There is no universal definition of terrorism which makes it rather difficult to forge a cohesive and coherent strategy to deal with the problem. Political differences have prevented the United Nations (UN) from generating a widely recognized and acceptable definition.[4] The cause of this absence of consensus regarding terrorism can be found in the definition adopted by the Arab Terrorism Convention, Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Terrorism Convention of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), they all dismiss armed struggle for self-determination and liberation as entailing terrorism.[5] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on its part however defines terrorism as use of unlawful force directed at persons or property and aimed at coercing civilian population, governments or any segment to further political or social goals.[6] On the other hand, the United States (US) Defence Intelligence Agency defines it as intentional political violence carried out on noncombatant targets by non-state actors and groups or clandestine state actors aimed at influencing audiences.7 This ambiguity in defining terrorism has led to uncoordinated responses which have failed to adequately address the problem. The need for tourism has grown in the last five decades due to advances in technology and improved standards of living. People have more to spend which means that they can afford to travel and see new lands half a world away from their homes. There has thus been an explosion of business that deal in various activities pertinent to the tourist industry. They range from airlines, hotels, travel agents, tours & travel companies and of late security firms. Tourism has therefore become a key part of domestic and global economy. The industry offers jobs, earns foreign exchange, promotes cultural diffusion, promotes international cooperation and to some certain degree stimulates environmental conservation.
Africa has the potential to become a major tourist destination due to its favorable moderated climate and vast picturesque scenery. Africa‘s tourism sector is barely exploited, while the continent accounts for 15% of global population, it only gets about 3% of global tourism receipts and just about 5% of overall word‘s tourist arrivals.[7] Africa is known as a conflict zone having witnessed around 80 armed conflicts in the last five decades. Of late it has been catapulted in the world media scene due to terrorists‘ attacks that span the whole continent. Nigeria‘s Boko Haram terrorist group is currently wreaking havoc in Western Africa, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has been terrorizing the Sahel while al-Shabaab in the neighboring state of Somalia has inflicted heavy casualties in eastern Africa. This study will seek to establish how this campaign of terror has affected tourism, tourism being a key contributor in GDP of a majority of African states, and will use Nigeria as a case study.
1.3 Problem Statement
Tourism is widely regarded as one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Since the 1980s, tourism has been one of the leading growth sectors in the global economy according to United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) statistics, from 1950 to 2010; international tourist arrivals grew from 25 million to 940 million. The sector has seen significant growth in revenue and employment as well as the development of new and fledgling markets. It contributes significantly to national GDPs and is a top employer in the economies of many nations. Tourism is labor intensive service which means it employs a lot of people in developing world where jobs are still limited. It is also a security sensitive activity which means that any hints of threat and danger to tourists can damage it.
Terrorism on the other hand is bent on causing extensive casualties and attracting massive national and international media. Owing to the international nature of tourism, terrorists target tourist sites and tourists who are citizens of states they consider to be their enemies. The huge media coverage given to terrorist attacks on tourist attraction sites not only helps terrorists broadcast their message but also sends signals to potential tourists of the places are safe and which they should and should not visit and spend their money in.
The attacks by Al-Shabaab extremists In Nigeria have threatened to wipe out the gains made from tourism which has been a huge contributor to the country's gross domestic product, particularly since the Mall attack in Abuja which not only attacked foreign citizens but also aimed at destructing a property owned by foreign investors, something which has inflicted fear in foreigners either as investors or tourists.
In the light of that it is therefore necessary to undertake an academic examination of the link between terror attacks and tourism in Africa, and how governments have reacted to it in order to facilitate sound policy shifts to safeguard the interests of the country.
Most of the studies done on this topic have looked at the link between the two concepts in developed nations with focus on massive terror attacks involving multitudes of victims and destruction of property. While this is surely important in understanding the phenomena, smaller terrorist attacks in developing nations of Africa needs equal if not more attention due to their sheer numbers and the vulnerability of African economies from terror attacks. It suffices to state that there is a conspicuous gap in the literature linking terrorism and tourism vis-à-vis local/domestic stake holders in Africa.
This study will therefore fill the identified in developing African nations. The study will no doubt augment existing literature and bring to the fore new insights particularly on the knock on effects of terror on the tourism industry, an important yet often ignored area. The study will also become an entry point for other researchers interested in further analyzing terrorism and tourism and other related dimensions in the future. It will also suggest areas of further research.
This research will therefore be conducted to discuss; the effect of terrorism on tourism in Africa and its mitigation strategies. Thus, the study seeks to answer the following pertinent questions. What is the impact of terrorism on tourism in Africa? What is the effect of terrorism on tourism stakeholders such as hotel operators, curio and souvenir traders, and shopping mall traders? and has the government taken the right measures in mitigating terror effects on tourism?
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The study will be guided by the following objectives.
1. To establish the impact of terrorism on global tourism
2. To evaluate the knock on effects of terrorism on local stakeholders in the tourism industry.
3. To determine and analyze the mitigation strategies adopted by the government to deal with terror in the tourism industry.
1.6 Justification of the Study
1.6.1 Academic Justification
Tourism and terrorism are areas that have received massive attention in media and academia in the last few years. The international nature of the two warrants this attention due to their psychological underpinnings. International tourism has emerged an important aspect of tourism but so has international terrorism. With this in mind, the involvement of multiple governments and non-state actors including terrorist groups and multinationals needs a closer evaluation.
Most of the studies done on this topic have looked at the link between the two concepts in developed nations with focus on massive terror attacks involving multitudes of victims and destruction of property. While this is surely important in understanding the phenomena, smaller terrorist attacks in developing nations of Africa needs equal if not more attention due to their sheer numbers and the vulnerability of African economies from terror attacks. It suffices to state that there is a conspicuous gap in the literature linking terrorism and tourism vis-à-vis local/domestic stake holders in Africa.
This study will therefore fill the identified in developing African nations of Africa. The study will no doubt augment existing literature and bring to the fore new insights particularly on the knock on effects of terror on the tourism industry, an important yet often ignored area. The study will also become an entry point for other researchers interested in further analyzing terrorism and tourism and other related dimensions in the future. It will also suggest areas of further research.
1.6.2 Policy Justification
Tourism plays a key role in many developing countries of Africa, with the services sector quickly outdoing the commodities market in these countries, the centrality of tourism both from an economic and cultural angle is clear. While this is so, African governments are yet to ensure that the local communities in tourist attraction sites share in the bounty accruing from tourism. It has therefore been the case that expensive tourist facilities are side by side with impoverished households of locals.
In Africa, economically and socially marginalized youths are likely to be lured into radicalism and extremism that breeds terrorism. It therefore behooves African governments to come up with comprehensive policies that not only market their tourist sites as safe and secure destinations to international tourists but also addresses the issue of fair sharing of revenue generated by tourism with the local community. Such monies instead of ending up in corrupt politician‘s pockets and wasteful government expenditure could best be utilized by developing infrastructure and entrepreneurial training of youths which encourages entrepreneurship that addresses unemployment.
This study will thus be useful to policy makers in governments in designing policies in the tourism sector that mitigate losses from terrorist attacks on tourist attraction sites and resulting harm to local stakeholders. It will also be useful private players in the tourism industry as it will offer in-depth insights into the link between terrorism and the various kinds of tourism.
International organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations involved in championing local community rights and sustainable models of tourism will also use the study to draft their plans of action.
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