In the summer of ’16 , my friend along with his family was planning a trip to France and well his dad wasn’t absolutely sure if it was safe or not due to what happened in November ’15.
But he did make the trip eventually which was perfectly safe except for the fact that he bruised his ankle while playing! The point I’m trying to make here is that we live in a constant fear of terrorism. Terrorism is everywhere but normal citizens like us only pay heed to it once we have a relative at the place where the attacks are happening or if we are planning to fly to that place. Is it safe to fly there ? What are the chances that I might be in a terrorist attack ? These are the questions that come to our mind.
So firstly what is terrorism and why do terrorist attacks take place ?
Terrorism is basically the use of violence or terror to favor someone’s political agenda. Why do terrorist attacks happen ? I mean what kind of a person would kill innocent people ?
The people behind terrorism are usually political or regional minorities who have a sort of grudge against the bigger party. They wouldn’t attack openly as that would be suicidal, them being a minority. So they use bombings to spread fear and make the government accept their demands.
The best example in context of terrorists would be that of a bully. Bullies pick on children as they have insecurities about themselves which they express through hurting other people so that they feel better themselves. Terrorists themselves are insecure about themselves so they spread fear in the hearts of the people to make themselves feel better or have their demands fulfilled.
So how important is tourism for a nation ?
For countries with rich culture and heritage, tourism is one of the boosting factors for its economy. Nations like India benefit a lot from tourists. Tourists provide the countries with many job opportunities and help in the overall growth and developmemt of a nation.
Have there been any specific attacks on tourists by terrorists ?
Yes, there have been attacks in Egypt specifically targetted at Tourists.
So why do terrorists attack tourists ?
Because the news of terrorist attacks on tourists spread worldwide. If there have been small attacks on the citizens of a powerful country, then the president may cover it up. He can control the media and clear the matter immediately. But if there has been an attack on tourists then the news would spread to their country and possibly worldwide. The president of a country cannot control the world’s media. So terrorists would get what they need : attention.
How does terrorism impact the tourism of a country ?
As in the case of my friend’s dad, people would start having doubt about visiting that particular country. For example there has been a 0.8 % drop in the tourists of France in 2016 after the bombings in November. But the number was back to normal in 2017. According to WTTC , it takes the people an average of 13 months to be back to normal in the context of tourism. So is terrorism a threat to tourists ? Yes, it is. But should the tourists be afraid ? Definitely NO.
Should the tourists be afraid of terrorists ?
Like I said. Definitely No. The leading cause of death is disease. A person has more chances of dying by car accidents or animal attack rather than than dying by a terrorist attack!
What should the tourists do against terrorism ?
They shouldn’t give in to fear or hate. That is precisely what terrorists want to achieve. People shouldn’t hate a particular group just because some of them were terrorists. ( The Muslims for example ) Tourists shouldn’t stop visiting that country just because terrorists attacks happened there last year. If the government says that it is safe to visit the country, then it should be visited.
In times like these people need to stand together and be united. Terrorism would only affect the tourism of a country if the people let it. After all the terrorists are just a miniority. Just like the one being bullied would protest against him with the help of the teacher, the people unite with the government to help get rid of terrorism.
As long as there is a war on terrorism going on, we’re all going to have to work together.
– John McCain
The Mechromancer 
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