To what extent do political events influence tourists' decisions of visiting certain destinations?
Author: Laura Skurdenyte
1 Commentries
Abstract
This discussion paper analysed how easily politics can influence travel decisions and deter travellers from travelling to various destinations. However, sometimes this influences travellers to visit destinations due to adventure and political reasons.
Key words: politics, tourism, travellers
Political events have influenced tourists’ choices and their decision to visit various destinations worldwide for a long time. The influence that politics can have on travellers can be done through travel restrictions or bans, media control and online activism, boycotts and many more. Such key factors are often the factors for tourists to be deterred from visiting the destination, or the opposite, be attracted to experience such factors. This paper will analyse what influence does politics has on travellers' choice of travelling destinations and the hypocrisy within it.
Government restrictions
One of the main ways in which politics can affect travellers' decisions in travelling is through travel restrictions or travel bans. Such restrictions often happen due to security concerns or diplomatic tensions between the countries, which leads to travellers redirecting their trip to a similar destination. For example, the US has limited its citizens from visiting Cuba, due to political reasons, which has impacted Cuba’s economy and the cultural exchange that Cuban and American travellers could have. Similarly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to worldwide visa restrictions for Russians, which have limited the number of countries Russia can visit freely. However, despite the limitations, some travellers are influenced to want to visit countries which are
restricted for adventurous or political curiosity reasons.
Media control and propaganda
Furthermore, governments often control the information that can reach both travellers and local citizens. To do so, governments often impose media control and spread propaganda. For example, China’s Great Firewall is the most developed media control tool used by the Chinese government, restricting access to Western popular social media, controlling access to information about unethical issues within China. In addition, Sri Lanka’s government promoted only the ideal areas of Sri Lanka, despite the major political issues. Such media control done by the government often raises a question: whether tourists should trust the
government media or aim for independent research when travelling to a destination.
Social media influence and boycotts
Due to the rise in users of social media and travel influencers, it has become easy to promote boycotts and reach millions of social media users or promote a destination. For example, in Colombia, the government often agrees with some travel influencers to promote only the safe and aesthetically pleasing areas for tourists. All this is done to cover the unsafe areas, where social conflicts or protests often occur. This way, the travellers can be influenced to visit such a destination, based on aesthetically pleasing areas. Furthermore, boycotts such as #BoycottRussia or #BoycottDubai that are active on social media to this day, gain a lot of travellers' views. Boycotts for tourism often occur when a country is not considering ethical reasoning or basic human rights, leading to travellers being upset, therefore encouraging travellers to choose a different travel destination. Quite often, travellers respond to such boycotts by spreading the boycott further through social media and avoiding visiting such countries.
Tourist hypocrisy
However, despite travellers being disturbed when countries violate human rights and avoiding such countries, a hypocrisy often occurs when it comes to political influence on tourism. For example, travellers often avoid Russia due to the invasion and continuous war in Ukraine and the unethical factors and human rights that are being violated; however, continue to visit China, despite China’s violation of human rights in certain areas and strict media control. This is highly hypocritical as Russia is doing the same violation compared to China. Furthermore, the travellers' boycott of Saudi Arabia, due to LGBTQ+ rights violations and discrimination, is highly popular, however, visiting Dubai, which has the same rights violations.
Conclusion
It can be seen that political tensions often shape travellers' decisions to visit a destination, based on various factors. However, this has shown that often travellers avoid travelling to destinations if this does not meet their ethical and political beliefs, whilst some are eager to travel to experience it all. As globalisation is continuing to grow, the interconnection between media, government and online activism remains highly important to understand the traveller influence.
Three key references
Hoang N.P., Niaki A.A., Dalek J., Knockel J., Lin P., Marczak B., Nishihata M.C., Gill P. and Polychronakis M. (2021) How great is the Great Firewall? Measuring China’s DNS censorship. The advanced computing systems association. August 11-13, 2021. Available from https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity21/presentation/hoang [accessed 11th May 2025]
Kim S. and Kim J. (2021) Trust me, trust me not: a nuanced view of influencer marketing on social media. Journal of business research, vol. 134, no. 223-232. Available from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.024 [accessed 11th May 2025]
Seyfi S., Hall C.M., Saarinen J. and Thanh T.V. (2023) Understanding drivers and barriers affecting tourists’ engagement in digitally mediated pro-sustainability boycotts. Journal of sustainable tourism, vol. 31, no. 11. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.2013489 [accessed 11th May 2025]
This discussion paper analysed how easily politics can influence travel decisions and deter travellers from travelling to various destinations. However, sometimes this influences travellers to visit destinations due to adventure and political reasons.
Key words: politics, tourism, travellers
Political events have influenced tourists’ choices and their decision to visit various destinations worldwide for a long time. The influence that politics can have on travellers can be done through travel restrictions or bans, media control and online activism, boycotts and many more. Such key factors are often the factors for tourists to be deterred from visiting the destination, or the opposite, be attracted to experience such factors. This paper will analyse what influence does politics has on travellers' choice of travelling destinations and the hypocrisy within it.
Government restrictions
One of the main ways in which politics can affect travellers' decisions in travelling is through travel restrictions or travel bans. Such restrictions often happen due to security concerns or diplomatic tensions between the countries, which leads to travellers redirecting their trip to a similar destination. For example, the US has limited its citizens from visiting Cuba, due to political reasons, which has impacted Cuba’s economy and the cultural exchange that Cuban and American travellers could have. Similarly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to worldwide visa restrictions for Russians, which have limited the number of countries Russia can visit freely. However, despite the limitations, some travellers are influenced to want to visit countries which are
restricted for adventurous or political curiosity reasons.
Media control and propaganda
Furthermore, governments often control the information that can reach both travellers and local citizens. To do so, governments often impose media control and spread propaganda. For example, China’s Great Firewall is the most developed media control tool used by the Chinese government, restricting access to Western popular social media, controlling access to information about unethical issues within China. In addition, Sri Lanka’s government promoted only the ideal areas of Sri Lanka, despite the major political issues. Such media control done by the government often raises a question: whether tourists should trust the
government media or aim for independent research when travelling to a destination.
Social media influence and boycotts
Due to the rise in users of social media and travel influencers, it has become easy to promote boycotts and reach millions of social media users or promote a destination. For example, in Colombia, the government often agrees with some travel influencers to promote only the safe and aesthetically pleasing areas for tourists. All this is done to cover the unsafe areas, where social conflicts or protests often occur. This way, the travellers can be influenced to visit such a destination, based on aesthetically pleasing areas. Furthermore, boycotts such as #BoycottRussia or #BoycottDubai that are active on social media to this day, gain a lot of travellers' views. Boycotts for tourism often occur when a country is not considering ethical reasoning or basic human rights, leading to travellers being upset, therefore encouraging travellers to choose a different travel destination. Quite often, travellers respond to such boycotts by spreading the boycott further through social media and avoiding visiting such countries.
Tourist hypocrisy
However, despite travellers being disturbed when countries violate human rights and avoiding such countries, a hypocrisy often occurs when it comes to political influence on tourism. For example, travellers often avoid Russia due to the invasion and continuous war in Ukraine and the unethical factors and human rights that are being violated; however, continue to visit China, despite China’s violation of human rights in certain areas and strict media control. This is highly hypocritical as Russia is doing the same violation compared to China. Furthermore, the travellers' boycott of Saudi Arabia, due to LGBTQ+ rights violations and discrimination, is highly popular, however, visiting Dubai, which has the same rights violations.
Conclusion
It can be seen that political tensions often shape travellers' decisions to visit a destination, based on various factors. However, this has shown that often travellers avoid travelling to destinations if this does not meet their ethical and political beliefs, whilst some are eager to travel to experience it all. As globalisation is continuing to grow, the interconnection between media, government and online activism remains highly important to understand the traveller influence.
Three key references
Hoang N.P., Niaki A.A., Dalek J., Knockel J., Lin P., Marczak B., Nishihata M.C., Gill P. and Polychronakis M. (2021) How great is the Great Firewall? Measuring China’s DNS censorship. The advanced computing systems association. August 11-13, 2021. Available from https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity21/presentation/hoang [accessed 11th May 2025]
Kim S. and Kim J. (2021) Trust me, trust me not: a nuanced view of influencer marketing on social media. Journal of business research, vol. 134, no. 223-232. Available from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.024 [accessed 11th May 2025]
Seyfi S., Hall C.M., Saarinen J. and Thanh T.V. (2023) Understanding drivers and barriers affecting tourists’ engagement in digitally mediated pro-sustainability boycotts. Journal of sustainable tourism, vol. 31, no. 11. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.2013489 [accessed 11th May 2025]