The impact of political instability on a fragile tourism product

Abstract

The Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean Sea are not the first areas to find themselves engulfed in a political situation which threatens economies so reliant upon tourism and foreign currency receipts. Recent examples along the coast of North Africa and former Yugoslavia for instance show how foreign tourism can be all but obliterated by political instability and civil upheaval. The on-going dispute between the two partitioned communities on the island of Cyprus threatens not only a tourism destination already suffering from increased competition and quality problems, but also the neighbouring countries Greece and Turkey who rely upon tourism to contribute to their economies. Downturns in these economies can only exacerbate the problems in a vicious circle. The reader is introduced to the more recent causes and the threats occurring in the area.