Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism Sector:
Recovery from Crisis
in the OIC Member Countries
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The effect of events may be of relatively short duration given appropriate remedial actions,
including infrastructure repair, security improvements and reassuring communications. These can
bring the sector back to normal operations within the short- to-mid-term although, where the
context of the country is still seen as dangerous, recovery is likely to take longer. The survey of
tourism businesses carried out for this study indicates that individual businesses can take several
years to recover from crises.
Sensitivity to destination disruption differs between markets and segments, depending on age,
background, cultural outlook and experience of travel. The survey of tourism businesses for this
report indicated that West European markets are the most sensitive to crises, followed by North
America. In addition, there is evidence that terrorist attacks (or even the threat of attacks) form the
most common cause of trip cancellations (Misrahi, 2016). This was confirmed by our study, where
terrorismwas cited as the most significant event to impact on tourism in respondents’ countries.
During the global financial crisis of 2008/9, the tourism industry experienced significant decline
and changes in travel habits, including a decrease in long-haul travel in favour of intraregional and
domestic trips (UNWTO & ILO, 2013). Destinations with strong links to European and North
American markets were the worst affected, while countries with more diversified source markets
were comparatively less affected. In terms of tourismsegments, business travel sufferedmore than
leisure travel because of the global slowdown in business activity.
The Role of the Media
The press and other forms of media have significant influence on travellers’ decision-making.
Graphic images of disasters may be accompanied by accounts of human suffering and damage to
infrastructure and facilities. The ‘ASEANTourismCrisis CommunicationsManual’ (2015) notes that
a relatively minor incident can be escalated into a crisis by prominent media report. Meanwhile,
reporting of recovery is often less extensive because it is considered less newsworthy.
The expansion of user-generated content on social media has democratised the propagation of
messages and images. This represents both a threat and an opportunity for destinations,
particularly during and following a crisis. The threat is the risk of sensationalist reporting that
exaggerates the scale of the problem; while the opportunity is to respond rapidly with positive
material on the actual situation and the actions taken to return to normal. Government and private
sector organisations are increasingly adept at using all channels to promote positive messages
during the recovery period.