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This introductory chapter synthesises an extensive and hot debate revolving around the role of precautionary doctrine in tourism fields. Although the industry faces serious risks and dangers, terrorism – just after 9/11 – situates as the most dangerous hazard and as a challenge for policymakers and practitioners. We have reviewed the pros and cons of the most important academic schools that focused on tourism security and risk perception theory. The urgency is given in creating a bridge between theory and practice in order to articulate the policies to the nature of each risk. Today risk perception theory lacks a robust methodological background that invariably led to a gridlock. Whether the demographic school advances in the multivariable correlation between class, ideology, income or education with risk perception, the sociological school lays the foundations towards a much deeper understanding of the impacts of risks in society. Rather, the radical turn – coming from a Marxist tradition – focuses on the limitations of risk perception theory. Finally, authors who form the psychological tradition, as stated in this chapter, highlight on the complexity of emotions and the inner world. All chapters in this book aim to provide fresh practical cases that reflect the socio-cultural background of the four continents.

Religious beliefs cloud people's understanding of the meaning of terror, and this factor alone complicates the management of terror in religious tourism settings. In this chapter, we discuss the interconnectedness between religion and terror in the context of religious tourism. We examine the nature of security that provides safety for the religious tourist without adulterating the spiritual experiences of worshippers. Religious faith is known to provide the social trust necessary for a society to function systematically, but touristification of places of worship is often the cause of distress in many communities. Historically, religions have inspired useful leadership practices, and we conclude the chapter with a discussion on crisis leadership ideas that are apt for religious tourism management.