Tourism, Security and Safety From Theory to Practice

parties. Again, such joint ownership and operational responsibility will prove
that information is not misinterpreted and that it professionally translates security
information into travel risk assessment. Joint ownership also conveys a clear mes-
sage that commitment to tourists’ safety comes before any urge to promote and sell
affected tourist destinations at any cost.
Once the information on the current security situation is processed through all
the components that feed the information platform, it is communicated, as
explained earlier, to prospective and current tourists as well as to the mass media
and travel advisories. By complementing and balancing the information issued by
the mass media and by travel advisories it will allow all tourism stakeholders in the
generating markets to make better decisions and to base their risk perception on a
more solid informational ground. Establishing such an information source will
also be an important manifestation of the fact that the public and private sectors in
affected destinations 
do
take responsibility over the fate of their tourism industry.
Furthermore, it is a cross-sectoral declaration that both are cooperating to ensure
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survival of the tourism industry in times of security crisis. And on top of all the
previous arguments, such a platform could convince the generating tourism mar-
kets that a security situation should not necessarily cause an immediate cancella-
tion of trips. It will help convey a message that risk to travelers changes over time
and space and if these phenomena are brought to the tourist and to the travel indus-
try, they can still take the necessary precautions and tour these countries in a safe
manner instead of avoiding them altogether. Thus, such a security information sys-
tem can contribute to the survival of affected destinations and to avoidance of
long-term economic hardship to host communities.