Soldiers patrolling on Place de la Nation in Paris. Tourism is one industry that will have to work hard at bringing in the revenue, fearing terror attacks will lead people to rethink travel plans and consider staying on terra firma.
By Updesh Kapur/Doha
The deadly French terror attacks a fortnight ago left more than a terrible scar on a nation trying to come to terms with what hit them so brutally.
Seventeen people lost their lives in two separate, yet connected incidents in the capital Paris over three fatal days.
As politicians talk about the need to be resilient and security agencies speak for greater public vigilance, the sight of armed forces trooping key public attractions has simply left one question unanswered. For how long can Paris, Europe’s biggest tourist hotspot, succumb to its most visual show of protection? With troops also deployed across the Belgian capital Brussels and secondary city Antwerp following the recent killing of terror suspects in a police raid, the mood is far from buoyant.
On Monday, European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss plans on fighting terrorism, and these will be brought to the table during an EU leaders summit on February 12.
Europe is clearly on high alert.
The effects of terrorism can eat into the fabric of society, forever changing the landscape and shifting the goalposts on how governments should be handling such atrocities.
Its not just the threat to the people of Europe, but to the very industries that rely on visitors from all over the world who see the vast and diverse Europe as a tourist haven. Tourism is one industry that will have to work hard at bringing in the revenue, fearing terror attacks will lead people to rethink travel plans and consider staying on terra firma.
As the world’s largest industry, tourism has enjoyed its ups and downs, in good times and in bad.
When there’s a feel good factor, the sector is buoyant. When not, there is a drive to remain resilient for sustainability and safeguarding lifelines of those who rely on tourism.
World leaders remain united in the fight again terror to ensure the protection of people and their free movement remains their primary concern. With Europe on high alert, the free movement of people between nations has now become a discussion point in the powers to be; to thwart individuals hell bent on causing havoc from criss-crossing borders with ease and without checks.
Reinstating barriers and putting the security system under increased pressure will only cause more disruption that fulfills the desired mandate of terrorists to affect daily routines.
Within days of the Paris attacks, the city’s tourist industry drew up a hasty plan to help prevent its tourism business from taking a severe long-term knock. Representatives of the Paris tourist industry will set off on a world tour next month to reassure visitors, travel agents and tour operators that the French capital is safe and open for business after the fatal shootings.
And there is reason to see why such action is necessary.
France is the world’s most visited country with around 85mn visitors last year – around 15% of all global travellers.
Already suffering from a struggling economy, French tourism supports a $177bn industry that delivers 7% of the nation’s GDP, according to government figures.
In Ile-de-France, a region which includes Paris, 550,000 jobs depend on tourism, making it the biggest industry there. The city had 47mn visitors in 2014, about half of them from abroad.
The forthcoming global mission will see the Paris tourism industry head to the UK, the USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan over the next five months The Comité Régional du Tourisme Paris Ile-de-France, a body financed by the regional government, is already sending out advisories that the city’s museums, monuments, stores, amusement parks and other attractions are well protected and safe.
In 2013, the vast majority of visitors to France were from other European countries, but about 3.1mn were from the US, among the markets that react the most when it comes to travel in times like these. It’s still early to assess the impact on summer bookings from the USA to France, but there is a strong possibility of a downturn from previous years if high-level security images continue to flash on TV screens and in newspapers. When city centre streets are being pounded with troops and news headlines dominated by the words terror, terrorism and terror cells, it’s hardly an image potential travellers want to see or hear. Fear and concern will either force people to reconsider their travel plans or defer trips to a later date.
Europe is the world’s number one tourist destination with 563mn international arrivals and more than 50% of the market share of worldwide tourism. Many economies in Europe and indeed around the world rely on tourism as their main source of income. London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Amsterdam are among the most visited European cities, heavily dependent on tourism revenue.
The European tourism industry is already working on ways to protect its share of the global tourism market. Fuelled by the recent terror attacks, there is a need to react and react fast just months away from the peak summer holiday season.
Like the Paris tourism industry, behind the scenes across Europe, airlines, hotels, tourist boards, as well as tourist attractions are planning promotional and marketing strategies. Not individually but collectively to ride out a potentially difficult period as each one feeds off the other. Growth of emerging markets is seeing Europe’s share of worldwide tourist traffic decline. Structural and legal handicaps, insufficient promotional funds and increasing competition are threatening Europe’s position.
The current highly complex regulatory framework, separate visa policies, extortionate air passenger duty and a lack of a clear brand image are still creating hassle and expense, and affecting people’s choices to travel.
According to the European Travel Commission, tourism receipts of almost €400bn, representing around 42% of global tourism expenditure, will inevitably fall.
European destinations are expected to grow by 2.1% a year on average in the coming years, 0.3% slower than previously, whereas worldwide international arrivals will grow much faster by 3.5%. With these statistics in mind, compounded by the likely impact of the French terror attacks, it’s a long road ahead for Europe’s tourism industry.
There will for sure be a spike in global marketing activities from a tourism industry desperate to maintain its status and retain a sense of joy among the travelling public.
♦ Updesh Kapur is a PR & communications professional, columnist, aviation, hospitality and travel analyst, social and entertainment writer. He can be followed on twitter @updeshkapur
