Night of terror in the city of light: terrorist acts in Paris and Brazilian tourists’ assessment of destination image

La noche de terror en la ciudad luz: los actos terroristas en París y la evaluación de la imagen de destino por turistas brasileños

Abstract

Contemporary terrorism may be considered one of the evils of the 21st century and it has hit an increasing number of non-combatant targets. Extremist groups are looking for places with large circulation of people to carry out their attacks. The attacks aim to reach a greater number of kaffirs, term to define the unbelievers or infidels of the Islamic doctrine, or to receive greater media attention. Thus, the present study aimed to understand how Brazilian tourists, who were in Paris, perceived the effect of the night of the attacks in November 2015 in the city’s tourist image. The study was qualitative in nature with data triangulation: documentary research, open-ended questionnaires, and video testimonies, with the use of content analysis. The results show a medium impact on tourism activity, but little importance in the image of the city of Paris in the months following the attacks, with the flow of visitors resumed in the short term. The primary relevance of this article was to understand the impact on tourist demand of terrorist attacks from tourists’ perception of destination image.

Keywords:
Terrorism; Destination Image; Paris; Brazilian Tourists