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It’s been almost a week since the attacks on Paris which saw 129 deaths and 433 injured. The aftermath is likely to get worse as the French military lays siege on ISIS strongholds in search of answers, while the people of Paris wait until another threat from the terrorists themselves.
A deadly ongoing cycle, with a solution hard to find. But what are the other areas impacted following such an atrocity? Biznews community member Unathi Sonwabile Henama, who teaches in the Department of Tourism Management at the Tshwane University of Technology, looks at the impact on tourism globally.
He looks at global events such as the 9/11 attacks and more locally the bombing of Planet Hollywood in Cape Town in 1996 and how these events affect tourism in general with a focus on South Africa. – Stuart Lowman
By Unathi Sonwabile Henama*
The terrorist attack in Paris, France on November 13 2015 was tragic and a sad reminder of the strife riddled times we live in. More than a 100 people lost their lives as ISIS terrorists launched an attack in the French capital city.
Francois Hollande, the French president, has already declared this ‘’an act of war’’. The context of Paris right now is similar to the context of New York on September 11, 2001.
The government of France has retaliated by launching air strikes the stronghold of ISIS, namely Raqqa in Syria. The terrorist attack on French soil will have a detrimental impact on both inbound and outbound tourists.
Paris is not just one of the top tourist attractions in the world, it is one of the countries that produces outbound tourism for the world.
Tourism is super sensitive to acts of terrorism and such events have a negative impact. In the latest Tourism and Migration, July 2015 France produces 5.4% of the total number of inbound tourists from international countries, representing 8 795 tourists to South Africa.
South Africa seeks to increase the length of stay of tourists, increase their expenditure and that they must travel to all corners of the country to achieve shared growth.
South Africa is a ‘’new’’ tourists destination relative to other destinations. South Africa knows the impact of the 1996 bombing of Planet Hollywood in Cape Town, and how the Ebola outbreak had a detrimental impact of tourist arrivals.
The relaxation of the visa regulations in South Africa will obviously lead to an increase in the number of tourists to South Africa.
South Africa needs tourism much more as the country is experiencing declining tax revenue, the Rand has depreciated to levels last seen in 2001, we are having the worst drought in more than 20 years, and the current account deficit is widening.
There is a social gap that exists between government and the private sector, as there is "uncertainty" about the future. The fact that tourism is now adopted as a major economic sector shows it requires more attention, especially with the creation of a separate Ministry of tourism in 2009.
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Because terrorists always target tourist destinations, the growth of tourism must be supplemented by the growth of pro-active policing and counter-terrorism measures.
In addition, one of the challenges of destination South Africa is the low levels of personal safety and security for tourists, which limit tourist arrivals. It must be noted that the current rise in terrorism is linked to many countries in the West leading to regime change in non-European countries for reasons best known to them.
It must be noted that it is these countries of the West that produce the greatest number of outbound tourists. Tourist sites become soft targets for tourist attacks, as these tourist sites would be frequented by tourists from the West.
In Africa, almost all terrorist attacks happen in sites frequented by international tourists. This correlation means that the tourism industry needs special attention form a safety and security perspective.
In the post-1994 era South Africa has attracted major sporting events culminating in hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The positive mileage from the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ has improved the image of the country.
The City of eThekwini has won the right to host the Commonwealth Games, which will be another major sporting event that will be first on African soil. The country has become not just a tourist mega destination; it is increasingly attracting thousands of tourists to our shores.
The tourism industry has grown in importance as primary industries such as mining, agriculture and manufacturing have been declining in their share of GDP contribution.
The terrorist attack in Paris is detrimental to tourist arrivals from the French tourists to South Africa, as France is in the top 5 inbound tourists markets.
The immediate challenge is to encourage domestic tourism and regional tourism to mitigate against the potential decline in tourist arrivals from France generally and Europe generally.
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South Africa needs to investigate bottlenecks and red tape that may have a detrimental impact on the experience of regional tourists that wish to visit destination South Africa. The fact that Air China will now operate between OR Tambo and Beijing will add more aviation capacity from this important BRICS country.
BRICS countries can be relied on to ensure that South Africa diversifies its inbound tourism markets. On September 8 2015, the United States Diplomatic Mission sent out a Security Threat to US Interests in South Africa that received information that extremists may be targeting US interests and facilities. This threat was dismissed by the South African government. I hope that the government will monitor what happened in Paris.
There was a terrorist attack in North African tourist destinations, and there was an attack on Kenya’s Westgate Mall, all major tourist destinations including South Africa.
In a paper titled List of Possible Terrorists in SA Disclosed by Dennesha Pillay noted that South Africa is already identified as a safe haven for terrorists as it has been used as a base. Tourism is an industry that requires peace as a prerequisite for growth, even a threat of terror can deter tourists.
South Africa must prepare for a terrorist attack; it is better for the country to be prepared. South Africa must prepare a tourism crisis management plan that would be cascaded to each province and each municipality.
Unathi Sonwabile Henama teaches tourism in the Department of Tourism Management at the Tshwane University of Technology and writes in his personal capacity. You can email him at HenamaUS@tut.ac.za.
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