Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism Sector:
Recovery from Crisis
in the OIC Member Countries
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 Ad hoc response to crises, rather than a comprehensive tourism crisis management plan
5.3.6. Conclusion
Lessons learned from Thailand’s experience in countering crises which affect tourism are, in
essence, that the government of Thailand through TAT has evidenced generally good leadership
throughout the various issues which have affected the country since 2000. The industry has proved
remarkably robust despite the various crises, one reasonbeing that none of the civil unrest has been
directed at foreigners, and another being that the strength of positive social and cultural sentiment
towards Thailand built up duringmany years of successful and peaceful tourism experiences stand
the industry in good stead when a crisis event occurs.
It is also notable that TAT and the private sector show a clear ability to collaborate in order to
present a unified message to key markets, to present reliable and reassuring information, and to
adjust their product and promotional offers to attract market segments which are less sensitive to
shocks. This demonstrates flexibility and a good ability to understand and harness market forces.
Nevertheless, there remains anxiety about the new king’s role and about continuing societal-
political unrest. If this creates an unsettling context for tourism, it is likely that potential visitorswill
start to look elsewhere for their tropical experiences – especially given growing opportunities in
competitor countries.