Terrorism and tourism: managing the consequences of the Bali bombings.

Abstract

The paper is concerned with the relationship between terrorism and tourism and examines the implications of the Bali bombings in 2002, the focus being on the period immediately following the terrorist attack. After a brief account of the incident, its adverse consequences for tourism in Indonesia and the wider Southeast Asian region are assessed, and the responses of official tourism and marketing agencies are analysed. Events are seen to have damaged tourist arrivals with efforts by the authorities to secure recovery through expressions of sympathy and regret, offers of reassurance regarding safety and security, domestic and regional promotion and discounting. While every situation is unique, these strategies have also been employed in other destinations experiencing crisis.