Tourism Risk Management - Sustainable Tourism Online

Hazards (Sources of Risk)
Hazards and risks are two different things. A hazard is a source of potential harm (to a community or
an organization); while risk is defined as the chance of something happening that will have an impact
upon objectives. There may be a high level of risk that a hazard will impact upon a community, for
example, or a low level of risk (that is, chance) of the hazard impacting. Hazards are also referred to
as sources of risk.
Asia and the Pacific, along with the rest of the world, face a wide range of disasters and crises from a
variety of hazards including those from:
Natural hazards
Technological hazards
Biological hazards
Civil/political hazards
cyclone, storm surge, flood, tsunami, earthquake, mudslide,
avalanche, volcanic eruption.
failure of technical systems relating to industrial sites,
transportation, infrastructure.
spread of disease amongst people or animals, pests,
contamination.
terrorism, sabotage, civil unrest, hostage situations.
Hazards are not in themselves disasters. Each hazard has the potential to impact upon a community
and to cause loss or harm to the community or the environment. Even a hazard impact will not
necessarily produce a disaster. If an earthquake, for example, were to occur in a remote and
unpopulated area and cause no harm to people or damage to property or facilities, it would not be a
disaster.
The World Tourism Organization (2003) identifies risks to the safety and security of visitors, host
communities and tourism employees from four sources:
1. The Human and Institutional Environment
These risks exist when visitors fall victim to:
• common delinquency (theft, pickpocketing, assault, burglary, fraud, deception);
• indiscriminate and targeted violence (such as rape) and harassment;
• organized crime (extortion, the slave trade, coercion);
• terrorism and unlawful interference (attacks against state institutions and the vital interests of
the state), hijacking and hostage taking;
• wars, social conflicts and political and religious unrest; and
• a lack of public and institutional protection services.
Tourism Risk Management – An Authoritative Guide to Managing Crises in Tourism 19