And its impact on tourism sector
Disaster management and recovery, both from manmade and natural causes, is a topic of increasing importance. Flood is an important aspect of natural disasters, particularly for the US, where it had shaped policy making. The impact of natural hazard in the tourism sector hasn’t been well understood, despite its stake in the regional and national economy. Tourism managers need to understand and prepare strategically for disasters, emphasizing more on reduction and readiness rather than response and recovery. Disaster planning and response policies need to be established at all levels, not just for tourism, but for the general well being of the people.
Disaster management and recovery is a topic of increasing relevance both, locally and internationally. The prosperity of any region or nation is immensely tied to it, irrespective of the fact whether it is manmade or natural. Floods are an important aspect of natural calamity for any geographic location. In the US, floods have been a part of its history with major floods occurring during the early twentieth century that emphasized on a larger focus on flood management. The article ‘Flood risk management in the United States and the impact of Hurricane Katrina’ by Galloway discusses the important floods in the US, their impact on policy making and current disaster management in the US. The nation’s tryst with floods is reflected from the fact that in 1936, the federal government assumed the responsibility for flood control across the nation. Flood control efforts by the government from 1930s to the 1970s primarily involved the construction of dams, floodways and other associated structures (Galloway, 2008). The concept of flood mitigation through non-structural intervention developed in the late 1950s. A combination of structural and non-structural elements was adopted as a unified approach to flood damage reduction.
The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1993 was an unprecedented experience since the Mississippi flood of 1927, causing damages worth $20 million (in constant dollars). A subsequent 1994 committee reported that the 1993 flood was an outcome of an extreme hydrometeorological event and that such events being natural are likely to continue. The committee also opined that both people and property throughout the US are at risk. Given the development in the flood plains, more damages are expected in the future unless a more effective flood plain management was in place (ICMRC, 1994), the report noted.
However a 2005 study of floodplain literature and Google verification revealed that flood risk management concept had taken off well in the European Union but that it was at its preliminary stage within the US. The devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 generated a public policy debate on the adequacy of existing flood management policies. The natural hazard management in the US which was pushed aside subsequent to the 2001 terrorist attacks was again brought to the fore. The recent Hurricane Sandy again raised the issue of homeland security’s natural calamity priority. The homeland security is obviously confronted by challenges of prioritizing responsibilities. Managing manmade and natural disasters simultaneously is a huge task and at times may be conflicting too. More public debate and opinion is now necessary in formulating effective policies in the US. It is high time for the US to catch up with their European counterparts in managing natural hazards; without waiting for a stronger public resolve, for this would only occur on the heels of another disaster.
Today natural disasters like floods affect people not only at the local level, but also globally, given the rapid globalization and new models of economic cooperation. Although such disasters affect all sectors, its impact on tourism isn’t well understood. The article ‘Tourism Disaster Planning and Management: From Response and Recovery to Reduction and Readiness’ by Ritchie provides a detailed look into the understanding and effectiveness of risk management in this sector. People, heritage, culture and topography are among the attractive elements which people all around the world strive to showcase, resulting in a flourishing and developing tourism industry. Tourism as an industry is an important element of any regional or national economy. There is little doubt that the tourism industry is growing by leap and bonds at all levels with regional governments trying to promote their region as a tourist attraction. However this sector has its own risks and threats like any other sector or industry, both due to natural or manmade causes. While the effect of manmade causes is well understood, there has been little understanding of the impact of natural causes.
The fact that the tourism industry is susceptible to natural and manmade disasters has been well witnessed by global tourism in recent years. Natural disasters affect the supply and distribution setups, given the fact that service organizations are vulnerable to failure of critical infrastructure like communication, electrical etc. Disaster planning in tourism therefore requires to deal and mange the changes brought about by these external incidents. It should be noted here that there is a lack of research on disaster management for the tourism sector (Faulkner, 2001). This shortcoming on interest and research is indeed surprising, given the size and economic importance of tourism. Another worry is that according to the World Tourism Organization, tourism development regions are more prone to sudden disasters. Also, disasters in other industrial sectors can impact tourism too due to its connectivity and dependence on them. It is therefore obvious that tourism academics lag behind their counterparts like chemists, ecologists, economists etc.
Tourism managers need to understand and prepare strategically for disasters. They need to emphasize more on reduction and readiness rather than response and recovery. A paradigm shift is therefore required to address disaster situations and tackling prospective barriers to disaster readiness for the tourism industry (Ritchie, 2008). A more holistic approach to disaster planning would reduce the probability of linked events or the ‘ripple effect’ in the tourism system.
Disaster planning and response policies need to be established at all levels, not just for tourism, but for the general well being of the people. However people also require realizing that it shall not be always possible to completely eradicate these threats and that they will have to live with the possibility of a disaster strike anytime, anywhere. But reduced impact and quicker recovery can be aimed through well planned and exhaustive risk mitigation strategies.
References
Ritchie B (2008): Tourism Disaster Planning and Management: From Response and Recovery to Reduction and Readiness, Current Issues in Tourism, 11:4, 315-348
Galloway GE (2008): Flood risk management in the United States and the impact of Hurricane
Katrina, International Journal of River Basin Management, 6:4, 301-306
Faulkner B. (2001) Towards a framework for tourism disaster management. Tourism
Management 22, 135–147.
Interagency Floodplain Management Review Committee (1994) Sharing the Challenge: Floodplain
Management into the 21st Century: Report of the Interagency Floodplain Management Review Committee to the Administration Floodplain Management Task Force. Washington, D.C. Executive Office of the President.
