● <B>Why is there a need for crisis management in the tourism industry?</B>

The tourist, the tourism consumer is changing. In the old days, the number one question everybody asked when they went on holiday was: ?How much will it cost??The new question is: ?Is it safe?? Only once people are convinced that a destination is safe will they start looking at whether or not it?s in their budget.

The consumer has changed, as has the world. It?s becoming very important for people to find out whether the destination pays attention to the safety and security aspect.

● <B> How does a destination accomplish this? </B>

First of all, the number one source of information for a consumer these days is the Internet. It should be very clear on the destination?s official and unofficial websites, as well as the hotel websites. The issue should be addressed in a balanced and careful way.

● <B>What could deter someone from visiting Mauritius? </B>

When I researched whether or not Mauritius was safe, it was very difficult to find out anything about the political stability of the country. It took a long time to answer that question. I did eventually find one website where it was explained that all the different cultures coexist peacefully. That kind of message has to get out fast. Then, what is the safety and security situation in specific hotels? Are they prepared or are they not to address the issue? When I searched various websites I discovered that the subject was not addressed in a professional way.

● <B> And the purpose of your visit is to get that message across more clearly. </B>

First of all, I?m here to help create awareness and give some examples. I?m here to put a mirror in front of them. I contacted a lot of hotels and tour operators and the answers I got were very poor. They have to start answering these questions in a more professional way. The websites didn?t give much information on the security aspect either.

<I>?I contacted a lot of hotels and tour operators and the answers I got were very poor. They have to start answering these questions in a more professional way. The websites didn?t give much information on the security aspect either.?</I>

● <B>The last real scare the tourist industry had to face was the chikungunya outbreak. I think that everyone here agrees that the situation was well dealt with by the government and tourism operators. Are you aware of this? </B>

Yes, I am. From what I saw, there were a lot of similarities between the chikungunya outbreak in Mauritius, the foot-and-mouth disease in the UK and SARS in Asia in terms of consequences for the tourism industry in these countries. I think that, in all these cases, closer cooperation between the tourism operators and the health authorities could have lessened the impact of these outbreaks even more.

● <B>You have a lot of experience in dealing with the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. We?ve had a couple of tsunami scares here. What can tourism operators do to minimize the risk posed by tsunamis? </B>

Firstly, the source of the scares can sometimes be a bit dubious. Because news organizations need breaking news, everything becomes a crisis. One must be able to counter-verify the information. Next the operators must ask themselves, ?How much time do we have to evacuate the guests from the time of the alert?? Hotels should train their staff to evacuate guests to a predetermined area that is safe.

● <B>Many hotels have already done that. Does that show that they are on the ball? </B>

I heard one story of a hotel being evacuated to a restaurant and the guests had a great time. If the hotel can turn the event into a sort of fun activity where the guests feel safe, the guests will talk about it when they get home. Even tsunami alerts can be handled in a positive way.

● <B>What are biggest threats to the Mauritian tourism industry? </B>

Interestingly, what has come out of the brainstorming sessions here is that the lack of human and natural resources are bigger threats than chikungunya outbreaks and the like. From a marketing point of view, the objective of welcoming two million tourists in Mauritius is viable. From an infrastructure point of view, it?s going to be a big challenge. There is a big need for cooperation between all the relevant ministries to start working on the infrastructure. If a plan is put in place for everyone to work together then it can be done. In tourism, there is a tendency to get the people here first and start worrying about the infrastructure afterwards. The human resource problem is a universal one. Dubai and Macao are sucking up hospitality human resources. There has to be a bottom-up approach to education, training and awareness. Too many organizations still perceive this as an expense rather than an investment.

● <B>What would be your message to Mauritian tourism operators? </B>

Expect the unexpected and start planning yesterday for tomorrow.