Effect of Terrorism on the Growth of the Tourism in New York, USA

Abstract

Tourism is among the biggest sectors in the world. Tourism leads to foreign exchange incomes, increased national revenue and emergency job opportunities. The effect of terrorism on the tourism sector is immense. However, it is affected by terror attacks in some instances. Terrorism usually brings about fear and economic uncertainties and lowers confidence. Hence, the study sought to examine the effect of terrorism on the growth of tourism in the USA. The study adopted the descriptive research design. The design was preferred since the researcher was interested in getting detailed information for the analysis. The target population was 368, including national travel and tourism office employees. The collection of the data was done using questionnaires. The study employed a stratified sampling technique to collect the data. The analysis of the information was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study used tables to present the data. The study findings indicated that terrorism is negatively and significantly related to growth (β=-0.975, p=0.011). The study concluded that when terrorism increases by one unit, the growth in the tourism sector will decrease by 0.975 units while other factors are held constant. Businesses are affected negatively by terrorism, leading to a decrease in tourists. Terrorism is likely to affect tourist arrivals in countries with persistent terrorist incidents. The study recommended that government should increase security in the country. Preventive measures should be implemented to ensure the chances of a terrorist attack are managed at all costs. Proper protection and preventive measures should be implemented to ensure that tourists recognize New York as safe from terrorism. There should be adequate political will to combat any terrorist activity. The government should do more to deal with terrorism and protect the tourism sector. Keywords: Terrorism, growth, tourism, USA.