Tourism, Security and Safety From Theory to Practice

Management Practices of the Adventure Operator
The second element determining the client’s adventure experience is operator man-
agement practices. Clients will, to a large extent, rely on the care of the operator
and staff to predict and manage the activity’s inherent risks. The responsibility
for risk management is therefore shifted from the client to those in charge of the
activity. This brings into focus the need for competent and trained staff skilled in
both the activity and in people management.
Facilitating activity management requires operators and delegated guides
trained in both hard and soft skills. Hard skills refer to those areas in which a guide
requires technical competence. This might include, for example, skills in craft con-
trol, rescue, first aid training, navigation, and use of specialized equipment. These
skills are relatively easy to measure directly or may become assumed to be
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acquired competencies through a designated level of experience (e.g., 150 trips on
a specified river). Guides will use these technical skills to provide their clients with
suitable training and equipment for the adventure.
Soft skills refer to interpersonal qualities used by the guide to manage customer
experiences during the adventure activity. These skills are important to control
client moods and anxieties where little time for training is possible or where unex-
pected circumstances arise. Adept guides read their clients’ moods and personality,
and based on this information, engage in appropriate communication strategies.
This will include using clients’ names, giving them confidence through positive
feedback, and routinely checking how they are feeling during their adventure.
In addition to employing suitable staff, other practices are required for risk man-
agement. These practices will vary depending on the nature of the activity and can
include appropriate staff-to-client ratios, trip planning, safety communication, first
aid and emergency preparation, clothing and equipment maintenance, hazard indi-
cators, and information recording procedures (see Cloutier, 2000, for a compre-
hensive overview from a Canadian perspective).