Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism Sector:
Recovery from Crisis
in the OIC Member Countries
7
Phase 2: Prodromal Stage
Once an emergency situation has begun to develop, a competent and speedy response may prevent
it spiralling into a full crisis. Not all businesses or even government departments will necessarily be
immediately aware of the situation, so they will need to be warned. The principal actions in this
phase are:
1. Increase frequency of communications between members of the tourism sector task
force, with instructions to member bodies to stand by for action.
2. Businesses should move their crisis management plan into the operational phase.
3. Finalise pre-prepared messages to issue to media and the public.
4. Activate a communications centre to handle enquiries from relatives of people affected
by the incident and mitigate damage to the destination’s image.
Phase 3: Emergency Stages (immediate crisis response)
Key actions at this stage are to:
1. Ensure safety and welfare of customers by covering their basic needs, followed by
evacuation to home country or another area if necessary.
2. Ensure safety and welfare of staff by transferring non-essential members outside the
affected area.
3. Carry out emergency infrastructural repairs.
4. Issue regular updates on the situation via the crisis communications centre, with
transparent and accurate messages. Openness to enquiries is vital to restrict
sensationalist and inaccurate reporting.
5. Rapid and honest communication by businesses with booked customers to advise on the
situation, either encouraging them to continue with their visit to an unaffected part of the
country, or offering a refund or alternative holiday at a later date.
Phase 4: Post-crisis (intermediate, mid-term)
Efforts to ensure recovery should accelerate as soon as the emergency phase is over. Government
commitment to the tourism sector and leadership is essential. Until repairs are made to the key
infrastructure and facilities used by tourists in the affected area, efforts to promote the recovery of
the destination should be limited to unaffected areas. Whatever the crisis, the optimal response is
to provide timely information that is accurate, credible and transparent, enabling stakeholders to
act on it and prospective visitors tomake informed decisions andmodify their travel arrangements
to ensure their safety. Communications should be directed at the trade (tour operators, travel
agents, conference organisers) and individual tourists. Business owners andmanagers can focus on
limiting the physical and reputational damage to their business.