Five Ways the Travel Industry Should Handle a Tourism Crisis

Obstacles that interfere with vacation plans are about as inevitable as a social media chat about politics going off the rails.

From unknown diseases that create unwarranted panic to gang violence, mass shootings, protests and natural disasters that all seem to put the traveling masses' and media's geography skills to the test, there never seems to be a shortage of a potential crisis in the world of travel.

But like most challenges life throws our way, the most proactive approach is being prepared, as well as following these other vital tips TravelPulse has compiled from recent discussions involving top tourism industry representatives.

Most of the following tips for combatting a tourism crisis were gathered as part of TravelPulse's recent coverage of a panel on the topic held during the fourth Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF) at the Hyatt Regency Miami.

The panelists were Nikheel Advani, president of the Turks and Caicos Hotel Association and chief operating officer of Grace Bay Resorts; Carla Campos, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company; Gregor Nassief, managing director of the Fort Young Hotel in Dominica; Jacqueline Peterson, chief communications officer for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Jane Watkins, president of Watkins PR.

Mark Murphy, president and CEO of travAlliancemedia, the parent company of TravelPulse, moderated the discussion. TravelPulse also spoke with some top Millennial travel specialists and others in the travel industry field about how to handle clients directly during a time of panic.

Here's what the experts had to say.

Prepare in Advance

As with any disaster, preparation is always the best way to solve an obstacle, whether you're making a living in the tourism industry or if you are a traveler planning a vacation of your own.

"I always tell hotels to have a hurricane policy," said Watkins, president of Watkins PR. "Have refund and reschedule plans in place already set so you have answers for clients immediately."

Watkins said that approach will not only provide excellent damage control, it will also help a hotel retain business.

"Your customer will not totally disappear if you are understanding, compassionate and have a hurricane policy," said Watkins.

Daniela Harrison, a travel specialist with Avenues of the World Travel in Flagstaff, Arizona, said one way to prepare a client for visiting a destination that recently fell victim to a tourism crisis is by visiting the destination herself and showing her customers how safe the destination really is.

Harrison told TravelPulse this method especially came in handy when travelers feared vacationing to Las Vegas in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in the U.S. The incident that occurred October 1, 2017, left 58 people dead and 851 injured.

"Reassuring clients that I am traveling to Vegas myself, frequently, without added concerns has proven enough for my travelers," said Harrison. "For international travel, I recommend registration to the STEP program, always add travel insurance and I supply my personal cell phone for emergencies.

"Together with after-hour emergency numbers, travelers feel an added sense of security having multiple contact details. I also cover a step-by-step action plan in case of emergency, whether it be medical, weather or terrorism-related. This way clients are ready to act if they have to."

As far as travel insurance goes, two reputable companies that travel experts often recommend are Allianz Global Assistance and Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection.

"I think about 10 years ago, I'd say people didn't really see the true value of travel insurance and just really didn't understand it in general," said Daniel Durazo, director of communications for Allianz Global Assistance. "But now with hurricanes and people getting scared about shootings and violence, I think people are realizing that it's worth it not to have to worry about that vacation you've been dreaming about and saving up for getting interfered with."

Be Fast and Honest with the News

Although there are many measures tourism representatives can take to ensure successful damage control in the aftermath of a crisis, Nassief, the managing director of the Fort Young Hotel in Dominica, which was slammed by Hurricane Maria, said sometimes the magnitude of a crisis is too much to prepare for.

But the only other defense is being as fast as possible in getting the correct information out to the public in order to avoid a panic.

"[A natural disaster] is not easy to prepare for sometimes," said Nassief. "We expected [Hurricane Maria] to be a Category 1/Category 2 storm and heading north of the island, within 24 hours, it went from Category 2 to Category 5 The next day you are faced with a reality you've never expected.

"You have to be very quick. It's hard to plan for, but success is being truthful, being dead focused on getting back on track."

And that honesty and sincerity can lead to repeat clients, said Harrison.

"When looking at the demographic, well-traveled clients are less likely to cancel due to a crisis, as are repeat clients," said Harrison. "Having a strong relationship with the traveler helps reassure the client that they will be okay even in a time of crisis because they have a strong partner on their side."

Honesty and truthfulness also involve putting the crisis in perspective for clients, said Rachel Morris of Paradise Weddings and Travel in Houston, Texas.

"A tourism crisis I handled recently was the violence in Mexico," she told TravelPulse. "In April, there was an article showing a spike of murder/violence in Cancun. I had a client traveling in two weeks and I put things in perspective in that Chicago has had similar stats to 'gang violence,' also showing that Mexico is a level 2 with the state department along with the Dominican Republic, Spain, France, Jamaica, Italy, etc.

"So, when a client says anywhere, but Mexico, I say, 'Well, then I wont send you to the following. They change their tune pretty quickly it seems."

When it comes to natural disasters, the traveling public often gets its geography a little mixed up. And some media outlets haven't helped by reporting on the event and posting photos of a city or state that may be as far as four or five hours from the scene of the crisis.

"I think the most recent crisis we've had as an industry was the erupting volcano in Hawaii," said Harrison. "It's amazing how many people don't know their basic geography. Clients were asking me where all the Hawaiians are being evacuated to, asking to cancel their trip to neighboring islands because they thought the hotel would be next to a raging river of lava, travelers being worried that the islands would run out of food. I got some great questions. All it took was a bit of education, pulling up Google maps and putting the size of the affected area into a more relatable perspective."

Besides confusion over geography, the U.S. Department of State can also create some confusion of its own. A recent change to the way the State Department rates the safety of destinations created uncertainty to visit destinations the traveling public previously deemed to be safe.

"Any time a travel alert changes from one level to another, I'm reminded that the news is sensationalizing the change, but not explaining what it means," said Lindsey Epperly, owner of Epperly Travel in Atlanta, Georgia. "This often leads to the questions of, 'Am I safe?,' or, 'Should I reconsider my trip?' For instance, earlier this year Turks and Caicos was put on a Level 2 travel warning. What the news isn't stating is, 'So is half of the world.'"

But Epperly also makes it clear to clients that she is a travel professional and not a doctor. So, when it comes to medical questions surrounding the Zika epidemic, Epperly plays its extremely safe.

"I am in no position to give advice to any of these circumstances, so I simply heard out each individual's concerns," she said about fielding specific medical questions regarding Zika. "I'm a Caribbean specialist, so you can bet we had droves of bookings affected by Zika when it was the biggest media topic and still are to this day.

"I advised them to speak with their doctor, and provided them with the most up-to-date [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] information. I didn't send over or indulge in news stories that felt sensationalized. I relied on the trusted resources who were stating only facts and informed [concerned clients] with the knowledge they needed to make a very, very personal decision."

Show Compassion

Shortly after the Las Vegas shooting, Petersen said she and other members of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority visited families of victims as well as those injured in the shooting "because it's very important to show you care" beyond the tourism effects of a crisis.

"We showed up in masses," said Peterson. "We gave them things, we spent time with them, we went to see the victims' families. We really tried to put that message out to the people of Las Vegas that said, 'You've been there for us for the good times and now we are here for you during these tough times.'"

And Peterson says that understanding also extends to a media base that is often heavily scrutinized for misreporting or sensationalizing the news.

Peterson says its important to have a healthy and pesonal relationship with the media with hopes of helping reporters get the news rights.

"You have to have a professional relationship with the media and understand that they don't always get it right, but it's obvious that they want to get it right," said Peterson of media coverage during a crisis. "And when you have close contacts in the media, you can get your message out faster."

As far as dealing with a traveler's concerns about a recent or ongoing crisis, Epperly said to remember two nouns: empathy and authority.

"When you can empathize with the clients and understand how and why this crisis affects them personally, they are much more likely to understand that you are on their side, so in your responses, you can serve as an authority," said Epperly. "Do your research based on factual evidence. Rely on government sites, not sensationalized news sources and deliver that information in the most unbiased way possible.

"In a crisis, it's not our job to make our decision for our clients, but it's definitely our job to inform them, and the more we can relate on a human level, the more we can build that trust."

Be Forward Thinking

Campos said a destination should have a recovery plan, as it pertains to tourism, in place within five days, although she admitted it is difficult to think about tourism when residents have been displaced from their homes.

"We immediately made it clear that we wanted to be open by December," said Campos about Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. "We drove and pivoted that message, but at the heart of that is the private sector to help you echo that message."

And Puerto Rico saw success in that approach as the destination was declared "open for business" in December of last year, just about three months after Hurricane Maria ravaged the U.S. territory.

"You have to immediately be forward thinking," said Campos. "You have to think, 'How can we move forward from this? How do we make this an opportunity?' And it's hard to do that when people are scrambling to get their property's ready, but you have to be forward thinking."

Know Your Private Sector

Campos also stressed to the audience at CHIEF that a tight relationship with the private sector can go a long way in getting accurate information out to the public.

In fact, Campos said if Puerto Rico worked a little closer with its private sector, perhaps the unwarranted panic that accompanied the Zika epidemic in Puerto Rico would have been subsided a lot sooner.

"Listening to the private sector is key," said the executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. "And we saw it with Zika. Not having a pulse or not replying quick enough on [the information] the private sector was leaning on [hurt us]."

And Advani agreed with that approach.

"It's important to have a great relationship with both the government and the private sector," said the president of the Turks and Caicos Hotel Association and chief operating officer of Grace Bay Resorts. "When a crisis hits, it's important to immediately get back to the table, be fast with information and tell the truth.

"Make sure it's fast, it's honest and make sure you keep everyone on the same page."

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Topics From This Article to Explore