By Aleem Khan, Contributor 
"HORRIFIC TERRORIST attacks and acts of war have cast dark clouds over the tourism sector in many parts of the world, underscoring the urgent need for good crisis management in this industry which usually prefers to be thought of as happy and carefree," says the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) in its recently released document Crisis Guidelines for the Tourism Industry.
While there has been no such attacks in the Caribbean in recent times, it needs to be kept that way.
It was in the wake of September 11, 2001 that the third summit of heads of state and/or Government of the states and territories of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) (December 11-12, 2001) had the foresight to encourage in its plan of action "the establishment of a regional tourist security network in the countries of the Greater Caribbean."
While news of large-scale crises has filled the newspapers and airwaves over the past 18 months, a tourism crisis can take an infinite variety of forms and have been occurring regularly for many years.
Natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, fires or volcanic eruptions sometimes do more harm to the image of a destination than to the infrastructure itself. Civil unrest, accidents, crime and disease will damage the attractiveness of the strongest destinations. While even economic factors, such as a sharp fluctuation in exchange rates can contribute to a tourism crisis, the WTO said.
Again, however, the Caribbean steered clear of these over the period in question. The closest to any such occurrence would have been the volcanic explosions in Montserrat that covered the Caribbean island with mud and ash last July 13. But it caused no injuries, according to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, and the island was quickly restored to normality, thanks to quick aid mobilisation from its regional and international neighbours.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
The WTO defines a tourism crisis as any unexpected event that affects traveller confidence in a destination and interferes with the ability to continue operating normally. Crisis management strategies are needed to help retain the confidence of travellers and the travel industry, and to minimize the impact of a crisis on the destination.
No matter what kind of crisis occurs, the techniques for dealing with it effectively are quite similar, the WTO says.
"Good communications based on the principles of honesty and transparency is the key to successful crisis management, but other tourism specialties also need to be involved, especially, communications, promotion, safety and security, market research," the document stated.
The goal is to get tourists returning to the destination as quickly as possible and good crisis management techniques can speed up that process.
The WTO warns "Never underestimate the possible harm a crisis can do to your tourism. Crises are like viruses sudden, insidious and virulent. They are extremely dangerous. The best way to minimise the impact of a crisis is to be well prepared."
It is hoped that the establishment of a regional tourist security network will do just that: prepare the region for the worst.
Aleem Khan is the Communications Charge of
the Association of Caribbean States. Feedback can be sent to
mail@acs-aec.org
