Tourism Risk Management for the Asia Pacific Region
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TOURISM RISK MANAGEMENT FOR THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION: AN AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE FOR MANAGING CRISES AND DISASTERS A Report Prepared by Jeff Wilks Stewart Moore This project is an initiative of the APEC International Centre for Sustainable Tourism (AICST). Partners in the project are the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the World Tourism Organization (WTO). The report was produced by AICST member organizations. The Academic team was led by the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism in Australia. Other academic team members were the University of Hawaii, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and James Cook University (Australia). The primary funding organization was the Department of Industry, Tourism & Resources (Australia), with additional funding provided by PATA (with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Korea) and the WTO. © Commonwealth of Australia 2004 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth available from the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Intellectual Property Branch, Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, GPO Box 2154, Canberra ACT 2601 or posted at http://www.dcita.gov.au/cca . Published for the APEC International Centre for Sustainable Tourism (AICST) by: CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd [www.crctourism.com.au] Griffith University PMB 50, Gold Coast MC QLD 9726 AUSTRALIA APEC#203-TO-01.4 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Wilks, Jeff. Tourism risk management for the Asia Pacific region : an authoritative guide for the managing crises and disasters. Bibliography. ISBN 1 920704 75 2 (pbk). 1. Tourism - Asia - Safety measures. 2. Tourism – Pacific Area - Safety measures. I. Moore, Stewart. II. Title. 338.47915 Acknowledgments The Australian Government, through AusAID’s APEC Support Program, was the primary source of funding for this project. Obtaining this funding was facilitated by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (Australia). Additional funding was provided by PATA (with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Korea) and the WTO. Researchers from the academic team are listed below. The project team gratefully acknowledge the contributions of individuals and organizations listed on page viii. This project was undertaken by the: APEC International Centre for Sustainable Tourism (AICST) – a cooperative Tourism Research Centre formed by the Tourism Working Group and the Tourism Ministers of APEC (http://www.apecsec.org.sg/) Partners in the project were: Pacific Asia Travel Association (http://www.pata.org/) World Tourism Organization (http://www.world-tourism.org/) The Academic Team that produced the report consisted of: CRC for Sustainable Tourism, Australia (http://www.crctourism.com.au/) Dr Jeff Wilks, Centre for Tourism & Risk Management, The University of Queensland (Project Leader) Stewart Moore, Sustainable Tourism Services (Project Manager) Kirsty Chessher, Sustainable Tourism Services Dr Petra Behrens, Centre for Tourism & Risk Management, The University of Queensland With support from: University of Hawaii (http://www.tim.hawaii.edu) James Cook University (http://www.jcu.edu.au) Dr Pauline Sheldon, School of Travel Industry Management (STIM) Dr David King, Centre for Disaster Studies (CDS) Dr Mark Hukill, STIM Scott Cunliffe, CDS The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (http://www.polyu.edu.hk/) Jordhana Haig, CDS Dr Kaye Chon, School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) Yetta Gurtner, CDS Dr Bob McKercher, SHTM Tony Tse, SHTM Gigi W.C. Lee, SHTM General Disclaimer This report mentions the activities and experience of a number of organizations and individuals whose work contributes to tourism safety and security. These activities and names are given for record and as examples, but do not entail automatic endorsement by the APEC International Centre for Sustainable Tourism or its project partners. While all care has been taken to check and validate material presented in this report the rapid changes occurring in the tourism industry worldwide mean that readers should seek legal or other appropriate advice before making decisions based on material in this text. The project team is available to assist with advice, training and policy development. The content of this report does not reflect the views of the Australian Government and should not be relied upon as reflecting Australian Government views. The Australian Government shall not be liable, in any way, for any loss arising from use or reliance upon material in this publication by another person. Independent professional advice should be sought before any action or decision is taken on the basis of the material contained in this report. ii FOREWORD A series of shocks has rocked the global tourism industry in recent times. Both direct and indirect events have impacted on visitor numbers at key destinations and threatened the economic foundations of communities increasingly reliant on a stable tourism product. Governments, industry representative groups and individual businesses are all seeking to develop improved management of risks so that potential crises can be avoided. This AICST report offers a broad coverage of risks related to tourism in the Asia Pacific region and strategic approaches to managing these risks. The challenge for APEC economies is to put in place partnerships across government agencies and between industry groups – a whole of government approach – to be proactive in this area. In times of crisis, for any tourist destination the first concern must be for visitors. Away from home, in unfamiliar surroundings, they are quickly disoriented and very reliant on their hosts and the host communities in general. Adequate planning for what has in the past been seen as the ‘unexpected’ can be the difference between a well-managed problem and a human and economic disaster. PATA emphasises the importance of ‘reputation management’ and with the rest of the world watching through the international media, each tourist destination will be judged according to how they manage a crisis. Care of visitors, speed and efficiency in returning the destination to normal, and providing for business continuity will all be factors in whether a destination maintains its image and reputation in the international market place. Visitors and residents alike need leadership and direction in times of crisis. They are not well served by alarmist reporting that creates fear and confusion. Developing effective relationships with the media and sharing information in a transparent way are critical issues. A full chapter of this report is dedicated to media and information management; so important are they in an age of almost instantaneous communication. The October 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali were the catalyst for this report. As well as caring for the visitors involved, Bali demonstrated the importance of ensuring economic continuity and well being for the host community. Continuity is essential for underpinning confidence in a destination that has suffered from any type of crisis. The prompt and urgent response of PATA and WTO to form a partnership with AICST in developing this report creates an excellent platform from which to initiate further collaborative efforts in the future. This partnership should include providing workshops and training programs for government and industry groups to take the report’s recommendations into action. Sir Frank Moore AO Chair APEC International Centre for Sustainable Tourism (AICST) iii CONTENTS FOREWORD..........................................................................................................................................III LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................................................VI LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................................VI LIST OF CASE STUDIES........................................................................................................................VI PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................VII ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................................VIII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................IX INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................1 MODEL RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TEMPLATE FOR TOURISM ................................................3 CHAPTER 1: PROTECTING TOURISM ..................................................................................................6 Aim of this chapter ..........................................................................................................................6 Profile of the region ........................................................................................................................6 Tourism and economic growth in APEC economies ..........................................................................6