AFP, Paris :
The attacks in Catalonia may hit tourist numbers, but the recent experience of other European countries hit by jihadist violence suggests it will likely be brief, industry experts said.
Cancellations, early departures, fewer reservations: the impact of a terror attack on an European city can last from three to six months, said tourism professionals.
But the effect is dissipating quicker and quicker, they argue.
“The duration of the effect is shortening as attacks become commonplace” said Jean-Pierre Mas, head of Entreprises du Voyage, an association of French travel agencies.
However the impact can be greater “if there are repeated attacks in the same place,” he added.
Didier Arino, head of Protourisme consultancy based in Paris, agrees.
Where there are repeated attacks in the same city, it can end up “appearing dangerous”, he said.
That was the case with Paris, which was hit by a series of attacks in 2015 — including the November 13 attacks on multiple locations in and around Paris, including the shootings at the Bataclan concert venue.
The nation’s economic output dropped by 0.1 percentage point in the final quarter of the year.
But it is difficult to quantify the overall impact of an attack.
The number of foreign tourists visiting Britain rose by 7 percent in June from the same month last year, despite three vehicle attacks in March and June in London, the nation’s top tourist destination.
The attacks in Catalonia may hit tourist numbers, but the recent experience of other European countries hit by jihadist violence suggests it will likely be brief, industry experts said.
Cancellations, early departures, fewer reservations: the impact of a terror attack on an European city can last from three to six months, said tourism professionals.
But the effect is dissipating quicker and quicker, they argue.
“The duration of the effect is shortening as attacks become commonplace” said Jean-Pierre Mas, head of Entreprises du Voyage, an association of French travel agencies.
However the impact can be greater “if there are repeated attacks in the same place,” he added.
Didier Arino, head of Protourisme consultancy based in Paris, agrees.
Where there are repeated attacks in the same city, it can end up “appearing dangerous”, he said.
That was the case with Paris, which was hit by a series of attacks in 2015 — including the November 13 attacks on multiple locations in and around Paris, including the shootings at the Bataclan concert venue.
The nation’s economic output dropped by 0.1 percentage point in the final quarter of the year.
But it is difficult to quantify the overall impact of an attack.
The number of foreign tourists visiting Britain rose by 7 percent in June from the same month last year, despite three vehicle attacks in March and June in London, the nation’s top tourist destination.
