The effects of terrorism as a form of socio-political instability on tourism governance : a study of the July 2005 London Bombings

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis sets out to explore the impact of the July 2005 bombings in London on therelationship between various levels of government, the business community andorganisations in the public sector, in their capacity as role players in tourism governance.The particular focus is motivated by the observation that responses by these groups to atourism crisis may lead to a form of 'joined-up' government. This means that theactivities and interests of all parties involved are aligned by relationships characterized byhigh levels of cooperation and coordination. The 2001 crises in the tourism sector causedby Foot and Mouth Disease and 9/11 functioned as the initial drivers behind this processin the United Kingdom, and the impact of the more recent July bombings furthercontributed to this trend.The further strengthening of these relationships might be the most effective way indealing with the effects of tourism crises. Therefore the analysis of the impact of the Julybombings on the quality and the nature of the relationships amongst the parties in tourismgovernance is important to increase the sector's preparedness and its capability tomonitor and respond the impacts of possible future attacks. The ongoing and politicalnature of the terrorism threat, as well as the current trend of devolution of governmentssets the overall background for the study.This study is primarily qualitative in nature. Data was gathered from secondary literature,government documents, media reports and personal communication with prominentrepresentatives from all parties covered in the study. Questionnaire responses andinterviews were conducted during July and September 2007.The network paradigm, used as an analytical framework in this study, provides thestepping stones to the conclusion that the July bombings had an asymmetrical effect onthe horizontal and vertical networks between the bodies. The effects of the July bombingson the sub-national level of tourism governance were the greatest, with local and regionalgovernment agencies consolidating their powers. It was found that the tourism industryand organisations in the public sector demonstrate that stronger partnerships within andbetween them have a beneficial impact on their relationship with local and regional levelsof government. The network paradigm was found to be a successful analytical tool fortourism studies with an interest in terrorism, political instability or another significantvariable that may challenge the prosperity of tourism.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University