tourism

Turkey’s tourism industry had been in trouble before Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack — and with the targeting of Istanbul’s international airport, analysts say the impact on the industry will resonate far beyond this week. Tourism experts and Cipher Brief network contributors Dr. Yeganeh Morakabati and Dr. John Fletcher of Bournemouth ...

Confronted with instability in neighboring Libya, a civil war to its south in Sudan, and an ISIS affiliate taking root in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt’s deteriorating security environment has pushed the country’s economy to the brink. Yesterday’s hijacking of an EgyptAir flight, which comes six months after the downing of ...

Egypt’s latest cabinet reshuffle, which Cairo announced last Wednesday, caught many observers both within and outside Egypt by surprise.  But given that four of the ten new ministers hold portfolios that are critical to economic development and investment, the reshuffle likely reflects President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s implicit recognition that Egypt’s ...

The cabinet reshuffle implemented by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi last week aims to reinvigorate Egypt’s floundering economy, explains Dr. Amr Adly of the Carnegie Middle East Center. According to Adly, the individuals appointed by Sisi are “high-profile business people” that maintain “dense connections with business circles in Egypt as ...

Egypt’s economy remains in a dire state primarily due to the fall in global oil prices, which has led to a decline in foreign direct investment in Egypt.  Meanwhile, the region’s unstable security environment has devastated Egypt’s tourism industry, explains Dr. Yeganeh Morakabati and Dr. John Fletcher of Bournemouth University. ...

Twenty-eight years ago, I began my career as a hotel night security guard at the SAS Scandinavia Hotel in Oslo, Norway.  The hotel was part of the SAS International Hotel chain of nearly 25 hotels, all located in Nordic countries, except for one in Kuwait. Today, I work for the ...

The recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino have left the global community shaken. What made these attacks particularly terrifying is that the terrorists struck people when they were going about their daily lives—and having fun. These types of locations, where people gather with little security, are considered “soft ...

Chief Security Officer for Hyatt Hotels, Inc., Mark Sanna, discussed with The Cipher Brief how Hyatt secures their hotels around the world, how they respond in an event of an attack, and how the hotel industry works together to promote the safety of their guests. Sanna believes this sharing of ...

Recent security incidents around the world have business and recreational travelers paying more attention to personal security risks.  The concept of greater situational awareness continues to come up as a way to mitigate risks.  Unfortunately, few people understand what “situational awareness” means and how to improve this skill.   Situational ...

Most national security and intelligence professionals believe the recent terror attacks in Paris were a game changing and defining moment in the world’s war on terror.  Madrid, London, and Mumbai, as well as the recent Metrojet and Beirut bombings were all horrific, but Paris was different.  The attack on a ...