Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism Sector:
Recovery from Crisis
in the OIC Member Countries
60
Table 3.5: Economic Crises affecting Tourism in the OIC Countries
Country Event
Bangladesh Collapse of garment factory building and poor working conditions
Indonesia Monetary crisis linked to Asian economic crisis (1997-98)
Iran Currency (rial) loses 80% of value due to sanctions (2011-12).
Ivory Coast Economic crisis (1980s)
Jordan Economic strain due Gulf War (1990)
Malaysia Asian financial crisis (1997).
Nigeria Falling oil prices (2016).
Sources: BBC News World Country Profiles; UK Foreign Office Travel Advisories; Wikipedia; various academic papers
(as per list of references).
It can be seen from the tables above that by far the most significant category of crisis is ‘societal-
political’. The countries listed in that category have experienced insurgencies, civil unrest, civil wars
and/or terrorist attacks, sometimes linked to economic crises. In each case, the countries concerned
have experienced a decline in tourism because of the events.
The Issue of Islamophobia
For Muslim countries, an additional challenge to be addressed is the impact of Islamophobia which
is a misperception mainly observed in Western countries. Islamophobia also negatively effects
Muslim countries’ image as tourism destinations.
Exacerbated verbal or physical attacks on Muslims the Islamophobia is particularly marked in
Western economies by a parallel growth in the popularity of extremist right-wing political
movements. A particular target for such groups is people perceived as ‘immigrants’, even if these
individuals were born in the country concerned.
The numbers are increasing, with more open expression of anti-Islam views and discriminatory
actions such as the banning of the burkha, niqab and even the hijab. These actions affect the
travelling public and feed into their perceptions of travel to Islamic or predominantly Muslim
countries.
Consequently, in Islamic Countries investment in marketing and promotion has to be higher and
more sustained than comparable non-Muslim destinations. A key strategy is to feature the rich
Muslim heritage and culture in their marketing campaigns.
3.2. Impact of Crises on OIC Member States’ Tourism Sectors
Although it is challenging to find specific research data pinpointing the effect of the various crises
on tourism destinations, a few examples will provide some illustrations.
It is estimated that tourism to Egypt declined by almost 22% after a series of attacks in 1993, while
in Indonesia, in the 6 months after the Bali nightclubs bombings in 2002 arrivals to Bali were only
43% of the total in the previous 6 months (Pambudi et al, 2009).