IHG CEO Says That Terrorism Is Not ‘Truly Disruptive’ to Hospitality

Following the recent attacks on the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso, InterContinental Hotels Group CEO Richard Solomons appeared on CNBC from Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday to discuss the ways in which terrorism shapes tourism, saying it is not “truly disruptive to the hospitality industry.”

Solomons acknowledges that terrorists threats and acts are a terrible thing but also goes on to say say they are not a new phenomena to travel.

“We have to try and protect our guests and our employees, but from a travel perspective people respond very quickly,” Solomons says. “Once it has happened people forget it and move on, and business comes back. We have to be really careful how we deal with it, but it is not truly disruptive to the travel industry.”

Attacks like that in Burkina Faso, which left 27 dead, as well as other attacks the past couple of months including those in France, Mali, and Indonesia, have not driven IHG to change its strategy.

Becoming more alert, working closely with security organizations and remaining cautious about operating in different markets are just some IHG’s responses and courses of action to terrorism attacks.