The Star: April 04, 2019
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• By Julia Evans<br />
CHRISTCHURCH businesses<br />
have been impacted by the<br />
terrorist attack, but experts say<br />
it is unlikely to hit the city’s<br />
economy long-term.<br />
Central City Business<br />
Association manager Paul<br />
Lonsdale said the attack, where<br />
50 people were<br />
killed by a lone<br />
gunman in two<br />
Christchurch<br />
mosques,<br />
did have an<br />
immediate<br />
impact with<br />
business<br />
becoming<br />
quieter than usual.<br />
But he did not think there<br />
would be a long-term negative<br />
impact.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>se sort of atrocities happen<br />
all over the world, we can’t do<br />
anything but carry on and live<br />
with the new reality,” he said.<br />
However, Canterbury<br />
University economics professor<br />
Tom Coupe, who has studied<br />
the impact of terrorism on<br />
cities around the world, said the<br />
immediate signs to the economy<br />
showed it had stayed steady.<br />
“On average, within a year<br />
things go back to normal . . . in<br />
general, there is not a big impact<br />
on economy unless there’s more<br />
than one attack,” he said.<br />
“Data on the back of the attack<br />
and the stock market reaction in<br />
New Zealand, I didn’t see much<br />
change there . . . no clear effect.”<br />
Although Prof Coupe said it<br />
would be hard to predict exactly<br />
how the city’s economy would<br />
fare in the aftermath of the attack<br />
“Every specific terrorist attack<br />
can have a different impact,” he<br />
said.<br />
news online at www.star.kiwi<br />
It comes at a time when<br />
tourism, events and economic<br />
development agency<br />
ChristchurchNZ is closely<br />
monitoring visitor metrics.<br />
A ChristchurchNZ<br />
spokesperson said the data<br />
includes visitor number statistics<br />
tracked through Christchurch<br />
International Airport.<br />
It is also monitoring spending<br />
figures, including visitor spend<br />
which is derived from the<br />
MarketView data that tracks<br />
transactions.<br />
City councillor Jamie Gough<br />
said there could be an immediate<br />
impact on numbers of visitors,<br />
which would be tough for the<br />
city.<br />
“Short-term, there will be a<br />
drop off, which we can ill afford<br />
NEWS 5<br />
Attack unlikely to hit economy in long-term<br />
Tom Coupe<br />
EFFECTS:<br />
Businesses<br />
in the city<br />
have been<br />
impacted<br />
by the<br />
terrorist<br />
attack, but<br />
experts say<br />
it is unlikely<br />
to hurt<br />
the city’s<br />
economy<br />
over the<br />
long-term.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Thursday <strong>April</strong> 4 <strong>2019</strong><br />
when we’re still dealing with the<br />
medium and long-term impacts<br />
of the earthquake,” he said.<br />
“But long-term, that remains to<br />
be seen.”<br />
Cr Gough said the response to<br />
the attack by the city and New<br />
Zealand would speak to the rest<br />
of the world.<br />
Prof Coupe also said<br />
the positive reaction from<br />
Christchurch and New Zealand<br />
would also help mitigate any<br />
potential negative impact.<br />
<strong>The</strong> most similar case to March<br />
15 was the terrorist attack in<br />
Norway in 2011 where 77 people<br />
were killed by a lone gunman,<br />
who also detonated a car bomb,<br />
he said.<br />
It had not impacted the<br />
country’s economy long-term.<br />
Canterbury Hospitality New<br />
Zealand president Peter Morrison<br />
said any fears the terrorist<br />
attack may impact tourism were<br />
unlikely to happen.<br />
“I don’t think it’s going it make<br />
a big difference. We’ve had a<br />
lot of tourists come and staying<br />
who say it wouldn’t put them<br />
off coming to Christchurch. It<br />
happens all over the world,” he<br />
said.<br />
Mr Morrison said it was<br />
headed into the quiet winter<br />
period and the city would have<br />
had time to heal before the busy<br />
summer season.<br />
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