An Analysis of How Terrorism and Political Instability has Influenced the Opinions and Movements of British Tourists

Abstract

Terrorism and tourism has long been a contentious issue, however, since the recent rise of attacks within Europe it is now becoming an evermore pressing concern for the Western tourist. This project aimed to understand how this 'new' concern was affecting British tourists opinions and movements. An online study of 130 respondents was conducted along with 3 interviews with industry professionals. The results from the research conducted showed that tourist opinion is affected in a copious amount of ways by terrorism. Most respondents stated that they would continue to travel to affected European destinations but would now refuse to travel to Islamic destinations. It was also established, that respondents place more importance on quality and atmosphere of a holiday than they do on safety and security. Therefore it is clear that trip satisfaction is of utmost importance to the respondents. This study concludes by offering recommendations for future related research.