Categories: Politics | Tourism | Tragedy | Travel The political climate of a country or destinations impact the perceptions we have on traveling to various parts of the world. Political Instability can have a direct impact on tourism, and can in most cases be devastating, especially for those that rely on the hospitality industry the most. Libya, Iran, and Pakistan are just a few countries greatly affected by their political climates and have been pushed away due to stereotypes, hatred, and whitewashing perpetuated by large industries such as Hollywood. Examples Of Crisis That Changed Peoples Perspectives For The Worse:
Libya's Crisis Summary: Crime levels in Libya remain high, including the threat of kidnapping for ransom. Westerners and U.S. citizens have been targets of these crimes. Terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in Libya. Violent extremist activity in Libya remains high, and extremist groups have made threats against U.S. government officials and citizens. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, hotels, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and government facilities. Outbreaks of violence between competing armed groups can occur with little warning and have the potential to impact U.S. citizens. The capital, Tripoli, and other cities, such as Surman, Al-Jufra, Misrata, Ajdabiya, Benghazi, Sabha, and Dernah, have witnessed fighting among armed groups, as well as terrorist attacks. Hotels and airports frequented by Westerners have been the targets of these attacks. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.
Iran's Crisis Summary: U.S. citizens visiting or residing in Iran have been kidnapped, arrested, and detained on spurious charges. Iranian authorities continue to unjustly detain and imprison U.S. citizens, particularly dual national Iranian-Americans--including students, journalists, business travelers, and academics--on charges including espionage and posing a threat to national security. Iranian authorities routinely delay consular access to detained U.S. citizens and consistently deny consular access to dual U.S.-Iranian citizens. Iran has been a part of 5 wars just in the 2000’s alone, 2 of which are currently on going. Pakistan's Crisis Summary: Terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in Pakistan. A local history of terrorism and ongoing ideological aspirations of violence by extremist elements have led to indiscriminate attacks on civilian as well as local military and police targets. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, military installations, airports, universities, tourist locations, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and government facilities. Terrorists have targeted U.S. diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past. Terrorist attacks continue to happen across Pakistan, with most occurring in Balochistan and KPK, including the former FATA. Large-scale terrorist attacks have resulted in numerous casualties.
How Hollywood Hurts The Middle East's Chance To Rebuild:Hollywood has perpetuated hate towards the Middle East, especially through enforcing existing stereotypes. Through events such as the 9/11 New York Trade Center Terrorist Attack, Middle Easterners have been the victims of being played as terrorists as a whole, as seen through films like Argo. Over 2/3rds of Middle Eastern characters “speak with pronounced foreign accents,” regardless of the program's context. Accent discrimination also exists where certain actors are not chosen for roles because of their dialect, or their inability to neutralize it. White washing has become an issue in Hollywood as they tend to prefer stories represented and made by white people. How Countries Who Are Perceived As Bad Really Are & Can Be:Drew Goldberg, otherwise known by his online alias, Drew Binsky, is an American travel blogger and vlogger. Binsky documents his travels on his YouTube channel and other social media accounts. Drew Binsky is a world traveler, video creator and social media personality who has visited 194 countries since 2012. Because he is so well traveled and documented, he is a great person to show us these places.
Don't Let A Countries History Deter You From Traveling NowWhile being up to date and cautious about current crisis and worrisome political climates of the places you are interested in visiting, don't let past issues steer you away from traveling now. Places such as Egypt, France, and the UK have been victims of terrorism and have been unsafe places to travel in the past. After historic moments, they have been able to clean up the crisis, promote travel, and recirculate hospitable industries to become popular places to travel once again. Relatable Media Picks:
Sources Used:Binsky, Drew, producer. 10 Things I Love About Pakistan. Narrated by Drew Binsky, Youtube, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZcpbEF7MAk
Binsky, Drew, producer. Is Iran Safe?. Narrated by Drew Binsky, Youtube, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2DVlpo6dds Binsky, Drew, producer. This is Libya. Narrated by Drew Binsky, Youtube, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AE27zdTtzs. Bureau of Consular Affairs. Iran Travel Advisory, U.S. Department of State, 2 Aug. 2021, travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Iran.html. Bureau of Consular Affairs. Libya Travel Advisory, U.S. Department of State, 25 Oct. 2021, travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/libya-travel-advisory.html Bureau of Consular Affairs. Pakistan Travel Advisory, U.S. Department of State, 19 July 2021, travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/pakistan-travel-advisory.html. Ramani, Prem S. Discussing Hollywoods Accent Discrimination Problem, Lainey Gossip, 6 Aug. 2021, www.laineygossip.com/discussing-hollywoods-accent-discrimination-problem/66797 Smith, Matthew N. The 16 countries with the worst reputation in the world, Insider, 13 Aug. 2016, www.businessinsider.com/countries-worst-reputation-reptrak-index-reputation-institute-2016-8#2-iran-2974-iran-was-a-comparatively-liberal-place-in-the-1970s-but-after-the-islamic-revolution-it. Yalzadeh, Ida. Unpack Middle Eastern stereotypes in Hollywood., Anti-Racism Daily, 3 Dec. 2020, the-ard.com/2020/12/03/unpack-middle-eastern-stereotypes-in-hollywood-anti-racism-daily/.
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Sydney BrzezinskiSenior undergraduate student at Grand Valley State University studying Business Management, Hospitality & Tourism, and Meeting & Events Management. Through my enrollment in HTM 202 International Tourism, I have maintained this blog as a portion of my required class work from September to December 2021. - Sydney Brzezinski
Oxford & Allendale, MI |