When tourists travel to a destination that they are not familiar with, there is always a sense of uncertainty that comes into play. In order to resolve this uncertainty, travelers gather information about the destination. One of the aspects they tend to focus on the most is safety. Factors to consider about travel safety include political factors, health concerns, and natural disasters to name a few.
Politics and Tourism
When first thinking about politics, it is not easy to connect politics with tourism and how it affects the industry. However, politicians make decisions everyday which directly or indirectly affect the hospitality and tourism industry, making it important to understand the relationship between them. From rules and regulations to travel restrictions, many aspects of tourism are decided by politicians. As such, political factors have always had an impact on the hospitality and tourism industry itself, as well as tourists. Politics play an important role in the hospitality and tourism industry and they are also a factor for traveler safety.
Thanks to the internet, information about a destinations political climate can be easily accessed and factored into tourist’s travel plans. When you understand the relationship between politics and the tourism industry, travelers are better prepared to handle unexpected incidents or events, and tourism professionals are better able to plan for and ensure the necessary steps are taken to safeguard tourists.
For example, a factor that frequently stops tourists from choosing the U.S. as a travel destination is gun violence. According to a survey, Chinese travelers said that they would avoid traveling to the U.S. because of gun violence. When incidents happen and travelers avoid visiting a destination, the money that they would spend will go to another country. In order to attract international travelers to a destination, strong regulations to prevent such incidents from happening are needed in order for the hospitality and tourism industry to thrive. As an industry where people come to a certain destination for experience rather than purchasing a tangible product that they can possess, the hospitality and tourism industry would have to put more effort on the safety of the travelers to ensure they have a wonderful experience when visiting a destination.
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