Geospatial Web

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Tourism acting as a factor of integration the
case of Right-wing extremism and Crime in the
Former GDR Dagmar Lund-Durlacher MODUL
University Vienna
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Background

• Reports over brutal racist attacks in the
• former GDR in German and international
• media.
• Tourism authorities complain that these
• attacks harm their tourism figures, 2007 survey
• Tourism figures in Saxony-Anhalt could have been
  11 higher without neo-Nazi association.
• Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in 2006, an
  estimated 400.000 people changed their minds
  about visiting the area, costs up to
  200.000 million Euros (IPSOS 2007).
• Reported racist attacks combined with the
• existence of a neo-Nazi movement affect
• travellers decisions on traveling to the
• former GDR.

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Research Questions

• Do reported racist attacks and the existence of
  neo-Nazi movements in the former GDR states
  affect travelers decisions on traveling there?
• What reactions and strategies do travelers show
  and develop?
• What measures can be applied to combat the
  negative effects and counteract negative tourist
  developments?
• Is tourism able to contribute to reducing
  right-wing extremist attidues?

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Subject of Study

• Right-wing extremist ideology has its roots in
  nationalism and racism. It is governed by the
  idea that ethnic affiliation to a nation or race
  is of the utmost importance for an individual.
  All other interests and values, including civil
  and human rights, are subordinate to it.
• Right-wing extremism in Germany
• No homogenous ideology, but ethnic affiliation
  and xenophobia are common charachteristics
• occurs in various forms
• a violence-prone juvenile sub-culture ,
• right-wing extremist skinheads,
• neo-Nazi groupings propagating a totalitarian
  state,
• parties striving to gain political influence.

Source www.verfassungsschutz.de
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Research Method

• Focus group discussions in Berlin
• 3 groups consisting of Berlin citizens with
  similar backgrounds and similar distribution of
  demographic characteristics (age, gender,
  familial status)

Focus Group Family with children Couple without children Single
Immigrants 3 2 2
East-Berliner 2 1 3
West-Berliner 2 3 2
Total 7 6 7
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Topics of the Explorative Study

• Travel behavior to the former GDR states.
• Personal perception and sensitivity towards
  right-wing extremism.
• Personal experiences with right-wing extremism
  during trips to the former GDR states.
• Changes in travel behavior and strategies to
  avoid conflicts with neo-Nazi movement.

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Personal perception and sensitivity towards
right-wing extremism

• Sensitivity depends on the social background
• Right-wing extremism is...
• known through reports in the media
• seen as a juvenile phenomen
• seen as a form of general crime
• not only a German phenomenon, but strongly
  stirred up through the media
• stronger in the former GDR states than in the
  old states, because
• Higher unemployment rate and therefore higher
  frustration level in former GDR
• Disorientation of juveniles
• Juveniles jealousy of tourists
• Adults are not used to the mass of foreign
  tourists and therefore avoid contact
• Xenophobic attitudes of parents are transefrred
  to juveniles
• Less problematic in highly developed tourist
  destinations

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Change in Travel behavior

• Due to personal experience with xenophobic
  incident
• No return to the place where the incident
  happened.
• Information to friends, family and colleagues and
  the media.
• Due to media reports on racist attacks
• Foreign immigrants react more sensitively.
• Berlin-born citizens do not feel like a target
  group for racist attacks and see themselves as
  being well-informed and able to estimate the
  danger.
• All would continue to make further trips to the
  eastern federal states.
• Boycott of the destination only for a short time
  after the incident.
• Long-term boycott if there are repeated racist
  attacks and an acceptance of right-wing extremist
  attidudes by local politicians and/or residents.

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Strategies to avoid racist attacks

• Not to be recognized as a foreigner and not to
  attract attention.
• To travel in a group, preferably together with
  Germans.
• To escape from dangerous situations.

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Measures to combat the negative effects

• Socio-political measures
• Job creation in the former GDR states.
• Affirmative action for the youth.
• Promotion of a positive tourism attitude amongst
  population.
• Improvement of law regulations to judge
  right-wing extremists easier.
• Security measures
• Higher presence of police.
• Employment of tourist companions.
• Ban and exclusion of neo-Nazis from certain
  areas.
• Communication measures
• Informing and educating tourists about the
  right-wing extremism scene.
• Local politicians, opinion makers and population
  distance themselves from right-wing extremism
  ideas.
• Creation of a positive attitude among the local
  population towards tourists.

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Summary

• Frequent, brutal, racist attacks in a tourist
  destination have a negative impact on the tourist
  arrivals in the destination.
• The open and visible presence of right-wing
  extremist groups leads to a decrease in travel to
  the destination.
• The acceptance of right-wing extremism attitudes
  by local politicians, opinion makers and local
  population leads to a decrease in travel to the
  destination.
• Foreigners and foreign tourists in highly
  developed tourist destinations are treated more
  positively than in weakly developed tourist
  regions.

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Conclusions

• Tourism plays an important role in
• the reduction of prejudices towards foreigners
  and the reduction of right-wing extremist
  attitudes,
• the buildup of dialogues between the local
  population and (foreign) tourists, as well as
• the integration of right-extremism minded fringe
  groups.

Thank you!