Immediately following the devastating April 16th earthquake that killed and wounded hundreds of people in Ecuador, the country’s Minister of Tourism Fernando Alvaro issued the following statement: “Visitors traveling to Ecuador or planning a visit to unaffected areas can feel confident that their trip will not be impacted and can feel secure to continue with their plans to visit the country.”
The earthquake itself and the minister’s prompt response, just three days before the annual George Washington Tourism Alumni Network Colloquium, a collaboration with the Organization of American States, highlighted the importance of smart and timely disaster response and management, particularly for a country like Ecuador that has invested heavily in its tourism sector.
In his presentation, Dr. Neil Parsan, Secretary for Integral Development of the Organization of American States, stressed that “To remain competitive in today’s travel market, destinations must maintain the safety and security of their people and tourists.”
The event, attended by tourism leaders including Jonathan Grella, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, US Travel Association and Marcos Espinal, Director of the Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis at the Pan American Health Organization, discussed the various organizational approaches to crises and the fundamental steps involved in managing them.
As Grella pointed out, “Crisis come in different forms: terrorism, health crisis, budget shutdowns, cyber-attacks, political boycotts, and they all have different implications on travel. In a crisis you have to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. If you are responsible for the crisis, you need to hold yourself accountable as an organization.”
Espinal focused on prevention: “Let’s have strong systems in place to prevent the crisis from happening in the first place," he said. He has been taking that approach in regard to the spread of the Zika virus, for example, which has experts scrambling and is already affecting the tourism industry.
Panelists from various destinations discussed their country’s approaches to safety and security:
- Gloria Polastri, Alternative Representative of Ecuador to the Organization of American States and former Vice Minister of Security, explained how the history and geography of Ecuador has long made national security and safety a top priority, and that during the recent earthquake the Ecuadorian government was able to deploy 10,000 soldiers and 4,600 police officers to the affected areas.
- Rodrigo Esponada Cascajares, Regional Director of the North America Mexico Tourism Board, addressed the public sector’s responsibilities and the re-positioning of Mexico following 9-11. “The tourism industry was never the same.” Not only did Mexico essentially halt tourism for two weeks to meet the UN health and safety guidelines, but the country publicly stressed to North American tourists that the country’s proximity to the US allowed visitors to drive as opposed to fly across the border. Through the tourism board’s strategic efforts and collaboration with the private sector, Mexico was able to increase the number of tourist arrivals last year to 32 million.
- Malia Asfour, the Jordan Tourism Board’s Director for North America, explained how Jordan, in addition to struggling from internal crises, continues to work to counteract public misconception stemming from its geographical location and proximity to countries impacted by terrorism.
Jordan promotes its natural and historical assets to offset the challenges posed by its geographic location.
If you were unable to attend the Spring Colloquium, you’ll find the recorded presentations here.
