ABSTRACT
Most studies agree that terrorism has a negative impact on the tourism industry. This chapter draws the public's attention to the threats that those precious sites may attract, just because they are cultural and identity symbols of nations and humankind, places which are highly attractive to heritage tourists but that have also become relevant terrorist targets. The Global Terrorism Index considered 2015 as the worst of the last 16 years in OECD countries. The tourism industry is extremely vulnerable to the effects of terrorism. The frequency and duration of the terrorist attacks, their intensity and severity will define the extent of the impact of terrorism on the tourism industry. The tourism industry is highly vulnerable to negative events and the constant crises triggered by internal or external factors anywhere in the world put the sector under a permanent threat of yet another imminent crisis.
