Introduction

This chapter outlines the implementation of strategic management strategies and tactics to deal with crises and disasters within public and private tourism organisations. Such organisations need to be flexible in how they source, administer systems and control resources for effective crisis and disaster management throughout the response and recovery phases. The allocation of resources requires coordination within organisations, between stakeholders, both within the tourism industry and between the tourism industry and external stakeholders, such as emergency services personnel. An understanding of stakeholders and the development of an integrated tourism crisis and disaster response are required. Leadership is required at a local, regional, national, and perhaps even international level depending on the size and scale of the tourism crisis or disaster. Cultural backgrounds may influence leadership and tourism crisis or disaster management, while there is debate about the characteristics that make effective leaders in these situations, the nature of decision-making, and the degree to which leadership should be (de)centralised.

For large-scale tourism crises and disasters, the government may be lobbied by the tourism industry for resources to be allocated towards reassurance and recovery marketing activities as well as tax relief for tourism-related businesses, while developing countries may become reliant on general aid and tourism development projects to assist their response and recovery. At an organisational level, resources may have to be (re)deployed to communication and information activities, activities to stimulate tourism demand (through marketing, price cuts, value adding, targeting new markets). In conjunction with these activities, organisations may need to diversify their businesses away from tourism to reduce their vulnerability and impact, while implementing cost control measures including reducing costs, postponing payments to creditors, reducing operations and reallocating human resources.