ABSTRACT
How do local and national authorities, tourism businesses and citizens respond to crisis conditions? The notion of ‘crisis’ involves uncertainty, danger and the need to respond urgently to new conditions. As Santana (2004) notes, these are not sentiments that one would normally associate with the pleasant, relaxing and enjoyable features of tourism.
This chapter explores and unpacks the concept of ‘crisis’, the impact of crises in tourism settings, and policy responses. The chapter begins by considering the similarities and differences between human-made and natural-occurring crisis conditions. Human history is punctuated by many crises that have disturbed, disequilibrated or, in the worst cases, destroyed the opportunities for the movement of people for trade and leisure purposes.
A conceptual typology is formulated to distinguish between one-off and recurring (cyclical) crisis conditions, the scale of their impacts and their influence on short- and long-term tourism planning and development. Examples are used to illustrate a variety of different tourism destinations and crisis conditions. The aim of the chapter, therefore, is to deepen the understanding of the complex layers of ‘crisis’ and ‘disaster’ as they affect the tourism industry.
