Tourism Risk Management - Sustainable Tourism Online

of the tsunami; for matters such as terrorism, crime, the outbreak of medical pandemics, etc. Each
of these strategies had a potential impact on the destination and tourism operators and associated
businesses, however the tourism industry was having difficulty in responding to the implications of
these various individual strategies. It was necessary to gather information on each of these
strategies and it was decided to include tourism's response to these strategies in the new Tourism
Risk Management Strategy.
The Phuket Tourism Risk Management Strategy is a brave new initiative by the Phuket tourism
industry and the associated government agencies. It has already been demonstrated that much can
be achieved by all working together. The tourism industry and its organizations will have one
strategy to manage, which will focus on all potential risks. It will provide roles and responsibilities for
each tourism organization to undertake. It is expected that it will take a few years for the industry to
fully address all of the possible actions that need to be taken. Government support and funding may
also be required to assist with implementation of some actions, such as staff training.
This is still a work in progress, but an important start for Phuket and Thai tourism to address critical
strategic risk issues facing the industry in the future. By being more knowledgeable and aware;
better prepared and more able to manage the impacts of a crisis; the destination will be stronger,
safer and more secure for visitors and should be more competitive on the world tourism stage.
(Source: Kean, I: APEC International Centre for Sustainable Tourism, 2006)
Chapter Summary
This chapter examines the crisis management strategies of prevention/mitigation, preparedness,
response and recovery for a destination. It suggests the composition of, and tasks for, a destination’s
crisis planning committee; identifies the key elements of a crisis response management plan;
examines the training and exercising (testing) needs of an destination’s crisis management team;
examines business continuity processes; and describes crisis recovery processes including
debriefing. The chapter also highlights the need for destinations and operators to work with relevant
government agencies and community organizations to develop effective partnerships for crisis
management.
Checklists for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery follow on the next pages.
References
Page, S., Yeoman, I., Munro, C., Connell, J. and Walker, L. (2006), ‘A case study of best practice—
Visit Scotland’s prepared response to an influenza pandemic’, Tourism Management. Volume 27,
pp.361-393
Tourism Risk Management – An Authoritative Guide to Managing Crises in Tourism 67