The case of Al-Shabaab in Kenya. Terrorism, space management and tourism

Abstract This paper is part of a broader research and will attempt to clarify the relationship between two phenomena as complex and important on a global scale as tourism and terrorism, focusing on the analysis of the impact on tourism of the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Al-Shabaab in Kenya, where in recent years the tourist economy has become increasingly central to the country's economic development. The risk of kidnapping foreign nationals in Kenya in recent years has been high and terrorist attacks occur regularly, especially on the coast and in the two main cities of Nairobi and Mombasa. It will also examine the dynamics of the control of spaces conquered by terrorist groups and the destabilization activities carried out in Somali territory with spill-over effects in Kenya, where terrorism represents a very real threat to the country's security, a threat that the armed forces are often unable to contain. From a methodological point of view, we will both develop a concise literature review on the new strand traceable to the geography of violence and the geography of justice and power (Lima 2015; 2020; Sabbag 2008), as well as a field survey through se-structured interviews with a 'convenience sample' and a biographic field research (local newspapers, Ministry of Defence) regarding both the activities of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group and the development and possible new trends of tourism in Kenya, will aim to understand the real impact of terrorism on the geographical area examined.