Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism Sector:
Recovery from Crisis
in the OIC Member Countries
42
of scenarios and assessment of the probability of their occurrence in the form of alternative
scenarios (Laws and Prideaux, 2005). The scenario-planning approach to the pre-crisis phase of
tourism disaster or crisis management includes examining how elements of the tourism system
interact with the wider societal and economic context. Understanding these relationships is a
precursor to creating more resilient tourism systems.
An example of national level DRR planning incorporating tourism is in New Zealand, where the
CDEM (Civil Defence and Emergency Management) Act seeks “coordination across a wide range of
agencies, organizations that emergencies are multi-agency events” (MCDEM, 2002). The Act is
administered by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency and proposes a “cluster approach”
involving individuals, businesses, emergency services and government departments to improve
communication and coordination. A bottom-up approach is envisaged through the establishment
of local CDEM groups and Regional Plans developed by the 16 regional governments. These
jurisdictions align with the boundaries of the Regional Tourism Organisations, which facilitates
collaboration, while the 2010 Canterbury earthquake was the catalyst for including tourism
organizations as formal partners in the CDEM Group Plans (Becken and Hughey, 2013).
2.3.2. Prodromal and Emergency Stages (immediate crisis response)
The crisis may take place too quickly to be able to activate response systems while it is actually
happening, especially in the case of a natural disaster such as a tsunami or a terrorist attack
perpetrated by an individual. Once the crisis event has occurred, however, fast response is essential.
In some cases a competent and speedy response may even prevent an emergency situation
organization into a full crisis. The emergency phase covers:
 The safety and welfare of tourists and employees
 Emergency infrastructural repairs
 Handling enquiries from relatives of people affected by the incident
 Media communications to mitigate damage to the destination’s image
Ensuring the safety of tourists on the ground in the affecteddestination is the priorityof all elements
in the tourismsector. This entails the provision of assistance or intervention during or immediately
after a natural disaster to meet medical and basic subsistence needs, and may include evacuating
tourists to another country or another region. In some cases, an effective alternative to evacuating
tourists is to offer them free transfers to accommodation in parts of the country unaffected by the
crisis and an accommodation upgrade. This is particularly appropriate in response to natural
disasters where the devastation is often limited to a relatively small geographic area. Enabling
visitors to continue to enjoy their experience in the destination serves both to lessen any negative
impressions, and to reduce future cancellations by intending visitors, who will see that current
visitors are well looked after and that parts of the country are operating normally.
Rapid infrastructural repairs may need to be carried out, in particular the restoration of cleanwater
supplies to prevent the spread of diseases such as cholera, the repair of roads so that emergency