Page 9 - Grade 12 Tourism

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POLITICAL SITUATIONS AND UNFORESEEN OCCURRENCES OF
INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.

1 Political situations

These are events that are linked to the political circumstances within a country, for
example, civil war, terrorism or general unrest.

Examples of political situations:

Civil war

This is a war between citizens of the same country. This has recently happened in
Libya, Egypt and Somalia. The negative impact of civil war is that tourists feel unsafe
to travel to such areas as they fear for their lives. Tourism attractions are often
damaged by war activities, such as bombings.

Terrorism
This is the use of violent acts to achieve a political goal. The terrorist tries to convince
people that their government is powerless to prevent acts of terrorism and gain
publicity for their causes. These acts restrict tourists from traveling to particular area
that are terrorist targets. The most famous act of tourism is the September 11, when
two planes crushed into the Twin Towers in the USA.

General unrest

Unrest is an uneasy or troubled condition. This will prevent tourists from visiting the
affected country. The strikes from other businesses that support the tourism industry
will cause a drop in tourists’ activities.

2. Unforeseen occurrences

These are events that happen without any warning, for example, tsunamis,
earthquakes, natural disasters, outbreaks of diseases, accidents and economic
upsets.
Tsunamis

A tsunami is a series of very large ocean waves caused by an underwater earthquake
or volcanic eruption. These waves damage infrastructure, buildings, attractions, ports,
coastlines and beaches. The waves cover a large area of land with water. It has an
effect on inbound and outbound tourists.

Earthquakes

An earthquake is a sudden and violent shaking of the ground. This sudden movement
is caused by movements within the earth’s crust or volcanic activity, and can cause
great destruction. Infrastructures and attractions are damaged during an earthquake.

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