Unfavorable Political Situations
How it leads to fluctuation of global tourism?
- Unfavorable political situations such as political conflicts or wars may discourage tourists from visiting thus causing them to maybe cancel their trip
- Political conflicts pose dangers not just for people of the country but for tourists too.
- These events also disrupt services and cause damage to infrastructure e.g. Hotels, skyscrapers, roads, and etc which hamper tourists activities
Case study: February 2011 'Arab Spring' uprising, Egypt
Arab Spring
The Arab spring is a revolutionary wave of demonstration and protests (both non-violent and violent). Riots and civil wars in the Arab world began 18 December 2010 and spread throughout the countries of the Arab league and surroundings.
How the political crisis affects tourism
- The primary aim of the protests was the removal of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's influence on Thai politics and the creation of an unelected "people's council" to oversee troubles of the political system.
- Rajiv Biswas, chief economist for Asia Pacific at consultancy firm IHS, estimated that "the Thai economy will grow at just 1.9% in 2014, far below its potential growth rate of 4% to 5%"
- "In real terms, this means that around $8bn-$10bn of economic growth has been lost in 2014."
- Tourism accounts for about 10% of Thailand's GDP ( Gross domestic product) and visitor arrivals have fallen steadily since the start of the year.
Bibliography
- http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27465461
- http://www.tradingeconomics.com/thailand/tourist-arrivals
- http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2013/09/20/egypts-tourist-numbers-just-fell-off-a-cliff/
- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28850510
- http://partidopirata.com.ar/2012/12/09/protestas-egipto-dic-2012/