ABSTRACT
No destination is immune to disaster. Every DMO should consider the possibility of a disaster at some stage in the future. Disasters can be man-made or acts of God. They can be short term or long term. Almost all will be unpredictable and beyond the control of the DMO. The level of preparedness for a disaster at a destination will determine the extent to which a management crisis manifests. Since a state of crisis can affect the viability of the destination, DMOs have a responsibility to prepare marketing contingency plans. The level of such planning has until recently been very low. However, the recent increase in acts of war and terrorism has forced more destinations to act. The topic of destination crisis management is an emerging research field within the tourism literature. A number of case studies have been reported in recent years, and provide a valuable resource for DMOs considering contingency planning. Key activities that DMOs should consider include: the formation of a permanent disaster taskforce, scenario building and risk analysis, coordinated marketing responses, market concentration, outsourcing of media relations, and initiatives to support local businesses. Popularisation of visits to such scenes of disaster has led to the emergence of dark tourism.
