Are tourists the only victims? The effect of terrorism on local communities in Turkey.
Author: Kelly Talbot
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Abstract: The aim of this discussion paper is to explore the effect of terrorism on local communities in Turkey as a mass tourism destination. Tourism within Turkey is one of the main sources of economic income, and the threat of terrorism impacts upon financial gain for the country. In relation to local communities, terrorism does not only affect them financially through precarious work in the tourism industry and unemployment, but also in terms of fear and lack of security, damage to their property and the developing stigma and Islamophobia attached to residents of the affected areas. This research aims to perhaps fill gaps in the literature in the hope that it helps others understand how these acts of terrorism impact upon local communities.
Key words: terrorism, Turkey, local, communities, mass tourism, economy, unemployment, fear, stigma
Are tourists the only victims? The effect of terrorism on local communities in Turkey.
Is it really only the tourist who is affected by the ongoing threat of terrorism? Within this discussion paper, the effects of terrorist attacks on the local communities in these affected areas will be explored, with particular reference to Turkey as a mass tourism destination. This topic area has not been thoroughly researched, and there is the opportunity to fill the gaps in academic literature, especially as there has been increased interest in relation to terrorism and political instability within the tourism industry. An in-depth analysis of previous research undertaken by academics around the topic, together with a review of official statistics on tourist arrivals, will be carried out to further investigate the effects of terrorism on these affected communities.
Many academic authors argue that terrorism is a difficult concept to define, and Townshend (2002) suggests that the term ‘terrorist’ is a negatively connotated label which is attached to an individual or group by the government, media or general public of the destination they have targeted. Within UK legislation under the Terrorism Act 2000, acts of terrorism are defined as the use or threat of action which involves serious violence, damage to property or the risk to the health and safety of the general public. The tourism industry is very sensitive to acts of terrorism, especially within mass tourism destinations like Turkey which depend on tourist arrivals as one of their main sources of income. The risk attached to these affected areas acts as a major deterrent to tourists who are more likely not to choose to visit due to safety and security concerns. This in turn affects the local communities of these destinations as many of the residents of these locations would work within the tourism industry, perhaps in hotels, attractions, restaurants for example. With a lack of tourist arrivals and expenditure, work could become precarious or perhaps non-existent for these employees.
It can be understood that Turkey is one of the destinations hardest hit by terrorist attacks, as the environment is very politically unstable and terrorism affects the overall economy as tourism provides considerable economic benefits for the country (Feridun, 2010). As a mass tourism destination, the employment opportunities the industry provides Turkish residents are also significant, with people running their own businesses within the sector or being employed by larger firms within the destinations. Terrorism has been said to lead to unemployment and homelessness within host communities.
On analysis of statistics relating to total arrivals to Turkey over the past 6 years, it can be seen that there was a significant drop from 36.3 million arrivals in 2015 to an estimated 29.5 million in 2016. On further exploration of the situation between these two years, it can be seen that Turkey’s capital city Ankara and major tourism areas suffered severe terrorist attacks and casualties within a short space of time. Looking at international arrivals in particular, as the majority of Turkey’s tourism comes from outside of the country, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism found within their statistics that the number of international visitors dropped from 36.2 million arrivals in 2015 to 25.4 million in 2016, a loss of almost 10 million visitors in just a year. Within analysis of the literature, it would seem that Turkey relies heavily on arrivals for economic benefit. In line with this drop in arrivals, Turkey would see a loss in income from the tourism industry. As referred to beforehand, many local residents would work within the sector or run their own businesses earning through self-employment. The lack of visitors would therefore lead to them losing money, finding themselves in financial hardship, without reasonable working hours or ultimately unemployed.
Other negative effects local communities suffer as a result of terrorist attacks include damage to property and livelihoods and the fear and securitisation issues people may face. There has also been some research into the negative stereotypes attached to Muslim communities within these areas. It has been understood that the prejudice local people suffer limits the future opportunities of those who live in these stigmatised destinations (Paul and Becker, 2017). These areas, however, require more research as very little has been written around these topics. It is therefore important to fully understand the implications local people in affected destinations face, not just how they are affected financially by lack of arrivals, but also emotionally, physically and in relation to future prospects.
Feridun, M. (2010) Impact of terrorism in Turkey: empirical evidence from Turkey. Applied Economics, 43(24) 3349-3354.
Paul, C. and Becker, S. (2017) “People Are Enemies to What They Don’t Know†Managing Stigma and Anti-Muslim Stereotypes in a Turkish Community Center. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 46(2) 135-172.
Townshend, C. (2002) Terrorism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Key words: terrorism, Turkey, local, communities, mass tourism, economy, unemployment, fear, stigma
Are tourists the only victims? The effect of terrorism on local communities in Turkey.
Is it really only the tourist who is affected by the ongoing threat of terrorism? Within this discussion paper, the effects of terrorist attacks on the local communities in these affected areas will be explored, with particular reference to Turkey as a mass tourism destination. This topic area has not been thoroughly researched, and there is the opportunity to fill the gaps in academic literature, especially as there has been increased interest in relation to terrorism and political instability within the tourism industry. An in-depth analysis of previous research undertaken by academics around the topic, together with a review of official statistics on tourist arrivals, will be carried out to further investigate the effects of terrorism on these affected communities.
Many academic authors argue that terrorism is a difficult concept to define, and Townshend (2002) suggests that the term ‘terrorist’ is a negatively connotated label which is attached to an individual or group by the government, media or general public of the destination they have targeted. Within UK legislation under the Terrorism Act 2000, acts of terrorism are defined as the use or threat of action which involves serious violence, damage to property or the risk to the health and safety of the general public. The tourism industry is very sensitive to acts of terrorism, especially within mass tourism destinations like Turkey which depend on tourist arrivals as one of their main sources of income. The risk attached to these affected areas acts as a major deterrent to tourists who are more likely not to choose to visit due to safety and security concerns. This in turn affects the local communities of these destinations as many of the residents of these locations would work within the tourism industry, perhaps in hotels, attractions, restaurants for example. With a lack of tourist arrivals and expenditure, work could become precarious or perhaps non-existent for these employees.
It can be understood that Turkey is one of the destinations hardest hit by terrorist attacks, as the environment is very politically unstable and terrorism affects the overall economy as tourism provides considerable economic benefits for the country (Feridun, 2010). As a mass tourism destination, the employment opportunities the industry provides Turkish residents are also significant, with people running their own businesses within the sector or being employed by larger firms within the destinations. Terrorism has been said to lead to unemployment and homelessness within host communities.
On analysis of statistics relating to total arrivals to Turkey over the past 6 years, it can be seen that there was a significant drop from 36.3 million arrivals in 2015 to an estimated 29.5 million in 2016. On further exploration of the situation between these two years, it can be seen that Turkey’s capital city Ankara and major tourism areas suffered severe terrorist attacks and casualties within a short space of time. Looking at international arrivals in particular, as the majority of Turkey’s tourism comes from outside of the country, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism found within their statistics that the number of international visitors dropped from 36.2 million arrivals in 2015 to 25.4 million in 2016, a loss of almost 10 million visitors in just a year. Within analysis of the literature, it would seem that Turkey relies heavily on arrivals for economic benefit. In line with this drop in arrivals, Turkey would see a loss in income from the tourism industry. As referred to beforehand, many local residents would work within the sector or run their own businesses earning through self-employment. The lack of visitors would therefore lead to them losing money, finding themselves in financial hardship, without reasonable working hours or ultimately unemployed.
Other negative effects local communities suffer as a result of terrorist attacks include damage to property and livelihoods and the fear and securitisation issues people may face. There has also been some research into the negative stereotypes attached to Muslim communities within these areas. It has been understood that the prejudice local people suffer limits the future opportunities of those who live in these stigmatised destinations (Paul and Becker, 2017). These areas, however, require more research as very little has been written around these topics. It is therefore important to fully understand the implications local people in affected destinations face, not just how they are affected financially by lack of arrivals, but also emotionally, physically and in relation to future prospects.
Feridun, M. (2010) Impact of terrorism in Turkey: empirical evidence from Turkey. Applied Economics, 43(24) 3349-3354.
Paul, C. and Becker, S. (2017) “People Are Enemies to What They Don’t Know†Managing Stigma and Anti-Muslim Stereotypes in a Turkish Community Center. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 46(2) 135-172.
Townshend, C. (2002) Terrorism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.