MANAGING RISK AND SECURITY

Hotel Industry and Terrorism

[Tamer Hashem]

[Student Reference: 099025160]

MSC SECURITY AND RISK MANAGEMENT

Module Four Assignment - Managing Risk and Security

Hotel Industry and Terrorism

Thesis Statement:

To assess the nature and severity of threats from terrorists to hotel industry.

Introduction

Hotel industry along with other businesses in hospitality sector, play a very important role in the UK's economy. However, hotels, which play a vital role in the accommodation of tourists, are considered one of the favourite spot of terrorists. The nature and severity of these threats from terrorists is very diverse and serious in nature. The main goal of security programs in any organization is to secure its people and critical assets. Hotels apply security programs that aim to secure their business and critical assets which include its guests, employees and visitors. This document is prepared to assess the nature, severity and measures against these terrorists' activities, with the perspective of the hotel industry.

Discussion

The hotels come under the broad category of Hospitality sector. This sector includes all businesses related to food, beverages, and accommodation services. The enterprises included in it, range from restaurants, bars, clubs, pubs, hotels, and hospitality services.

The hospitality sector is known for its hard work, high pace, and high turnover. A report from people 1st with the name “State of the Nation” (2011) concludes that:

1. The female workforce in this sector comprises 58% of the total.

2. 44% of the workers are aged less than 30 years.

3. The black and minority ethnic (BME) comprises 14%.

Over two million people are employed in the hospitality sectors across UK (State of the Nation, 2011: 33). More than 12% of this workforce is employed in Hotels, and accounts for 18% of the total revenues from hospitality sector to the economy.

Terrorism is considered a worldwide phenomenon. It is not something we are alienated to. However, the definition of terrorism is a point of dispute. What we call terrorism, might be considered a “right” to others. Whom we call terrorists, might be calling themselves as freedom fighters. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, terrorism defined as, 'the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion' (www.merriam-webster.com, 2012). Its first known use dates back to even 1795. According to the terrorism act (2000:1), the use of violence associated with the terrorist act is primarily designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public or a section of the public… for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause'.

Department of Criminology (2011) introduced three main types of terrorism; domestic, which has no foreign directions or grounds, international, which is totally the opposite, and finally the state sponsored terrorism referring to the use of some governments to terrorism against their own citizens or in support of international terrorism (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2002; Department of Criminology, 2011:7-5). Terrorists' attacks on hotels, is not a strange phenomenon. In history of such events, one can find the attack on King David Hotel (1946), in Jerusalem, 91 people of various nationalities were killed and 46 ...