Tourism post Sept 11 in New York
Tourism industry goes beyond attractive destinations, to being an important geographical, cultural, political and economic contributor for a country. However, travel remains one of the most vulnerable sectors. It is exposed to threats like natural calamities, act of war and terrorism, socio- political instability etc. One such incident in history is 9/11 attack in the US. Tourism post Sept 11 suffered a major crisis as it took a huge toll on the tourism industry.
Over the last two decades, the travel industry has been one of the most rapidly expanding industries in modern business. New York city is considered as one of the safest big cities in the world as the visitors are constantly under cities’ friendly police force. NYC attracts tourists due to its stunning waterfalls, mountains, wine country, chicken wings etc. But 19 years ago, the 9/11 terrorist attack in the United States shattered the global tourism industry for a really long time. Tourism post Sept 11 in New York wasn’t the same as it was earlier.
If one compares tourist arrival statistics by world geographical regions in 2001 and 2000,the following picture emerges: — Africa: -1.4%, America: -20%, East Asia/Pacific: -4%, Europe: -6.5%, Middle East: -20%, South Asia: -24. Based on this statistics, America suffered a huge loss due to the attack.
Security plays a significant role when it comes to tourism. The 9/11 terrorist attacks devastated major sectors like air travel, leisure travel, hotel and hospitality. The US blamed Saudi Arabia as the major culprit behind attack due to which travel industry across middle east also suffered losses. The global losses in tourism devastated the economy as well because the movement of people was obstructed both domestically and internationally.
Travel is considered as a form of freedom for cultural exchange. Being a huge contributor to global economy, travel has resumed back in the city. Tourism post Sept 11 evolved as people started considering the desire to travel the world as a risk-seeking activity. To enhance public safety, measures like intense surveillance at the airports and border check points and tighter visa have been taken.
19 years later, the U.S. dramatically changed the way it approached terrorism. A new technology has evolved to make it even easier for airport security officials to find restricted materials. The change in airport security resulted in advanced screening methods and background checks. This has been done to keep America safe and to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.
