Terrorism and tourism: From Kenya to France, here's how countries managed to revive their tourism sector after terror attacks

On April 21 this year, coordinated bombings— predominantly in the capital Colombo city— killed over 250 people, bringing the country and its tourism business to a standstill. Tourism accounts for five percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Experts have stated that the business was hit particularly hard since hotels were one of the primary targets.

The alluring beaches of the island country, reports suggest, became deserted, and within months after the bombings, the government launched a massive campaign to attract tourists from key markets like India, Russia and the United States (US).

From mothballing a rule on minimum rates for hotels to hosting international sporting events and offering attractive fares on the state-owned SriLankan Airlines, the country's government laid out an extensive blueprint for promotion and attraction of tourism to the country.

On July 24, the country also included India and China in the free visa on arrival scheme to revive the country's tourism sector.

The numbers showed that it has been received well. According to a Reuters report, between 1,400 to 1,500 foreign tourists were travelling to Sri Lanka in June, as opposed to around 1,000 immediately after the bombings. While that is a nominal increase, the report stated that officials are optimistic tourism will boom again in the country, especially now that India and China have lifted their travel advisories.

France

A number of terrorist attacks have been reported from France in recent years. In 2015, a coordinated terrorist attack in Paris killed over 130 people. It was considered to be the deadliest attack in French history.

Intermediate attacks in the forms of letter bombs and stabbing have been reported from the country ever since.

However, reports suggest that while tourism business was initially hit, it managed to bounce back spectacularly. France reported a record 2.6 million foreigners travelling to the country in the first four months of 2017, which, according to France 24, was a 19 percent increase over the same period in 2016.

The reason for the boom, according to reports, was a mix of well-oiled strategy by the French government, with the help of some fatalism on part of the visiting tourists.

"If it's your time, it's your time," an America tourist in Paris told France 24, adding that "there's nowhere in the world where you're safe". The tourists' resignation to fate apart, the French government also ensured that security concerns were addressed on a priority basis, with heavy deployment of personnel in cities and towns across the country after the attacks.

In addition, reports suggest that hours after the terrorist attacks, meetings were held and the government coordinated with several agencies, including the tourism bureau and the industry, to come up with a campaign that can showcase France as a safe tourist spot once again. "Destination Paris", a campaign to combat declining tourism, was also launched. Facilities for tourist visas to be made available within 48 hours, particularly for tourists from Russia, India and Indonesia, also helped.

Thailand 

In August 2016, bombings in Thailand's tourist towns of Phuket and Hua Hin killed four people and injured 23, many of them tourists. A year before that, a bombing in the capital Bangkok had killed over 20 people.

The 2015 bombing was also coming on the back of political instability within the country, with protests and a military coup in 2014. Apart from releasing a statement a day after the 2015 attack that stated an increase in security in central Bangkok, the country's tourism authority launched a new Discover Thainess campaign.

The year-long global promotion campaign concentrated on providing tourists with new destinations, and off-beaten track cities. The point was to come up with "fresh and exciting alternatives" to popular tourist hot spots, the country's tourism minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, said.

Kenya

In 2013, a terrorist attack on the Westgate shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi hit the country's tourism sector hard.

According to the BBC, nearly 30,000 people lost their jobs after a decline in tourism in the consequent years.

The decline was due to both terror attacks and other security issues, such as political instability and riots. The tourism industry in Kenya, concentrated mainly on wildlife tourism, game parks and beaches, lost millions as of 2016.

In order to advertise the country, and improve the situation, the country's tourism minister Najib Balala even jumped off a plane and parachuted on a beach so that Kenya's "tourism industry could attract better headlines", according to the BBC.

The Kenyan government had, in 2014, announced a slew of measures, including scrapping of VAT on air tickets and park entrance fees.

However, according to reports, what changed the face of the industry for better was Kenya's decision to launch a coordinated security campaign, involving all national agencies to crack down on terrorist organisations like Al Shabaab. The terrorist organisation was reportedly responsible for the mall attack.

While the tourism business has been successfully revived, jumping up to 20 percent in 2018 as compared to 2017, another terrorist attack in 2019 in Nairobi might have put paid to those plans for revival.

Terror tourism 

While these are the more recent examples, closer home in India, after the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, India's financial capital struggled to attract tourists. According to reports, the city saw a significant decline of over 60,000 tourists, based on hotel and airline cancellations in the aftermath of the attack.

Ironically enough, in the years following the attack, 'terror tourism' has developed in the city, with tourists visiting Leopold Cafe and Nariman House— two of the places hit during the three-day long terror strike. In fact, the owner of the cafe has reportedly decided to keep the bullet holes since they continue to attract tourists' attention.

Similarly, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the US— which had hit the tourism industry hard in the country, particularly since New York is a popular tourist destination— Ground Zero, or the site where the Twin Towers stood— and crashed, has become a tourist site, complete with walking tours.