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Qatar Airways ban the sign of things to come

───   DANE BEISHEIM 16:26 Mon, 19 Jun 2017

Qatar Airways ban the sign of things to come | News Article
Boko Haram militants

Potchefstroom - Terrorism is the biggest threat facing the international tourism sector. This is according to Melville Saayman of the North-West University.


On June 5, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar, citing the country's support of extremist groups as the reason why. This includes banning Qatar Airways from using their airspace. Travellers were confronted with longer flights, delayed flights with further travel complications in this region abound. Saayman says he suspects we will be seeing a paradigm shift in the tourism sector.

“Because you must remember first of all that these are mostly Muslim countries and they actually put a ban on Qatar Airlines. So that shows you that they are taking this issue seriously because it also has an impact on the way people see Muslims and the image these attacks by ISIS are creating for Muslim nations,” Saayman adds.

"It cannot be overstated how severely the numerous terrorist attacks across the globe have affected the tourism sector. I suspect we will be seeing a paradigm shift in the tourism sector. We won't be going where we usually went, we won't use the same routes, we won't visit what we used to adore. From music shows to restaurants have all become targets. To reiterate, there is no bigger threat to tourism than terrorism," Saayman said.

He went on to illustrate that it is not just the Middle East that is facing major consequences; Africa is in jeopardy as well.  

"It is not just ISIS, it is their other affiliates and similar extremist groups - such as Boko Haram - that can result in countries such as Nigeria facing dire tourism consequences. Bans such as the one imposed on Qatar and Qatar Airways serve as a warning device, a deterrent to countries that do not do enough to curtail terrorism within their borders. The speediness with which this ban happened opens the door for similar actions," Saayman warned.

It is, however, a sad state of affairs.

"A ban like this is punishing the greater tourism industry and, more specifically, countries with a populace dependent on tourism. It's like sanctions where you punish those people who deserve it least. In that regard, we are playing into the terrorists’ hands."


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