FROM BALLOTS TO BULLETS: EFFECTS OF ELECTORAL CONFLICTS ON TOURISM GROWTH IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
Keywords:
Electoral conflicts, Tourism growth, Political instability, Destination image, Global SouthAbstract
Despite extensive literature linking political instability to tourism performance, a clear research gap persists regarding the specific and differentiated effects of electoral conflicts, including pre-election tensions, disputed results, and post-election violence, on tourism growth in the Global South. This study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic meta-analysis and qualitative thematic synthesis of peer-reviewed studies and institutional reports published between 2010 and 2026. The study identified 112 records from Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science; 27 peer-reviewed studies and 6 institutional reports met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Quantitative findings on tourist arrivals, tourism revenues, destination image, and tourism recovery were comparatively synthesised. At the same time, qualitative evidence was thematically analysed to examine political risk perception, crisis communication, and tourism resilience. Findings reveal that electoral conflicts significantly reduce tourist arrivals, tourism revenues, hotel occupancy, and destination competitiveness, with post-election violence causing the most severe and prolonged tourism downturns. Media framing, travel advisories, and social media amplification emerged as major drivers of destination image deterioration and tourist risk perception. The study concludes that peaceful electoral governance and integrated tourism crisis management systems are essential for tourism resilience.
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