Security in Tourism
Introduction
Security and safety have always been a crucial condition for tourism and travel. However, it is an undeniable fact that security and safety matters have gained much bigger significance in the last 20 years in tourism. Changes that have been occurring in the world for the last 20 years have been enormous. Because of acts of terrorism, natural disasters, local wars, pandemics and epidemics, that w have witnessed, security has reduced significantly. The tourism and travel industry could not avoid the negative effects and consequences of these events. Furthermore, some of these occurrences unveiled the susceptibility of tourism both on regional and global levels.
Impacts of insecurity on the tourism industry
The global effect of violence (such as terrorism) is that it causes a countrywide downturn in activities associated with tourism. The temporary effect is the decrease in the microeconomic index while the permanent impact is the decline of macroeconomic values (Tarlow, 2017). In response, a majority of governments engage in developing counter-crisis policies and security approaches that prepare them to fight back the effects of terrorism. A good example of such permanent impacts is one caused by terrorist activities in Basks group in Spain. Studies show that losses in the state were in excess of 10 percent of its annual GDP. To worsen matters, there appears to be no predictable solution to the problem. Nonetheless, the tourism industry is ever increasing and contributes significantly to the global development. Currently, people are travelling more than they used to do in the past. Nonetheless, the travel rate differs depending on the degree of fear of terror attacks and the risk factor associated in touring the desired destination.
Effect of insecurity on businesses associated with tourism
Travel agencies, airlines, hotels, and other tourism-related business operators are significantly impacted by insecurities (e.g. terror attacks, natural disasters, local wars and epidemics). Therefore, they formulate new strike-back advertising and marketing approaches of their products and services. For example, they could utilize the advertisement technique to send a positive message via the internet or media. Moreover, they could inform potential tourists that their safety is guaranteed when they visit a country. Secondly, these organizations are affected economically in that, around that time, when attacks take place, the tourist turnover is significantly low (Mansfeld & Pizam, 2018). If fight-back policies are not developed and performed on time, these downfalls in economy may prolong. The businesses and the country at large hence suffer loss in terms of foreign currency. Additionally, attacks such as the ones associated with terrorism and wars interrupt the conduct of a population causing demographic variations. Such violence may cause migration into and out of the nation and decrease the inflow of tourists into the affected nation. Such changes impact the destination of tourists, the kind of travelers, the place they come from, they activities they take part in while in transit, and the needed accommodation.
Promoting security and protection in tourism
Various approaches have and can be used to address the issue of insecurity and thus enhance security in different tourist destinations. One such strategy pertains to regional co-ordination and cooperation. Regions that border one another need to take an active role in ensuring that they come together and formulate measures aimed at enhancing security in regions. As such, the regions need to ensure tourism surety by dealing with crime and protecting tourists and residents as well as the reputation of the destination. They can attain this by, for instance, sharing intelligence and harmonizing strategies. Notably, it is vital that these regions be entirely supported by other principal partners, encompassing the governments, the tourism industry and the community at large. Another strategy pertains to the tourism industry taking charge of assuring security and protection in the industry. This can be attained by the industry coordinating its efforts and cooperating fully with other major partners, that is, the government, law enforcement agencies, and the larger community (Hall, Timothy & Duval, 2018). It must ensure that the environment is secure, the tourist is safe, and that if the tourism and travel industry puts emphasis on security it will have a better chance of surviving. Another strategy entails countries investing in surveillance systems. Terror attacks, rates of crime and health hazards can be enhanced via various kinds of surveillance system at all international entry points into the nation and preparations can be made to tackle possible impact to the nation.
Conclusion
Obviously, security and safety matters not only impact the industry of tourism but also the nation’s destination image, finance and economic industry. Responsible companies should thus impose the security and safety policies to avert the issues from occurring. Also, it is the duty of every country to take serious measures in maintaining the industry of tourism, particularly in terms of the security and safety challenges. They should always remember that tourists have the tendency of visiting nations that make them feel secure and safe, and as such, social media is a significant influence in their decision planning and trips.
References
Hall, C. M., Timothy, D. J., & Duval, D. T. (2018). Safety and Security in Tourism: Relationships, Management, and Marketing. London, England: Routledge.
Mansfeld, Y., & Pizam, A. (2018). Tourism, Security and Safety. London, England: Routledge.
Tarlow, P. (2017). Tourism Security: Strategies for Effectively Managing Travel Risk and Safety. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
