Comparing the impact of political instability and terrorism on inbound tourism demand in Syria before and after the political crisis in 2011

This paper aimed at estimating the effect of political instability (PI) and terrorism (TERR) on inbound tourism demand in Syria before and after 2011. Utilizing factor analysis and logarithmic regression technique (Cochrane-Orcutt (CO) estimation method), the study revealed that tourism demand is affected negatively by internal rather than external political instability. In general, tourism demand is more sensitive to PI as compared to TERR. Moreover, after the crisis, the impact of PI on tourism demand tends to increase remarkably while that of the TERR diminishes. The results help tourism institutions in developing crisis plans concerning the so-called Arab Spring Revolutions.