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#ParisAttacks: The effect on SA tourism. Should we be worried?

Source: Tourism Update, 20/11/2015

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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