Brief tourism impact from Spain attacks: experts

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Europe

The attacks in Catalonia may hit tourist numbers, but the recent experience of other European countries struck by jihadist violence suggests it will likely be brief, industry experts said.

Cancellations, early departures, fewer reservations: the impact of a terror attack on a European city can last from three to six months, said tourism professionals.

But the effect is dissipating quicker and quicker, they argue.

"The duration of the effect is shortening as attacks become commonplace," said Jean-Pierre Mas, head of Entreprises du Voyage, an association of French travel agencies.

Mourners stand near flowers, candles and tributes to the victims of the Barcelona attack, on the Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona on August 19, 2017. / AFP Photo

However the impact can be greater "if there are repeated attacks in the same place," he added. Didier Arino, head of Paris-based consultancy Protourisme, agrees.

Repeated attacks in the same city can end up making the city "appear dangerous," he said. That was the case with Paris, which was hit by a series of attacks in 2015 – including the November 13 attacks on multiple locations in and around Paris.

The nation's economic output dropped by 0.1 percentage point in the final quarter of the year

Importance of image

But it is difficult to quantify the overall impact of an attack.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Britain rose by seven percent in June from the same month last year, despite three vehicle attacks in March and June in London, the nation's top tourist destination.

"The stronger the image of a destination, the more the impact will be limited," said Arino. The challenge then becomes for a city to limit the damage to that image.

Arino recommended the use of social networks, in particular the posting of selfies that encourage a "sense of belonging."

French soldiers, policemen and firefighter vehicles at the site of a police search in Marseille / AFP Photo

That is what the French Mediterranean city of Marseille did after the July 14, 2016, attack when a jihadist drove a truck into crowds celebrating France's Bastille Day.

But what doesn't help is refusing to acknowledge the problem, said Arino.

"It doesn't do any good to say: 'Our destination is safe.'"

For Asian tourists in particular, security is a top issue, said Mas – and attacks often had a distorting effect on perceptions.

France saw the number of foreign tourists drop by two million last year to 83 million, proving a drag on the economy, as tourism accounts for some eight percent of the total.

Source(s): AFP