Tourism, Security and Safety From Theory to Practice

Analysis of Crisis Management Using a Multi-Attribute
Approach
The first step in studying crisis management practices from a multi-attribute per-
spective requires that the attributes (or practices) be identified. This can be
achieved by assembling a list of practices based on an investigation of the litera-
ture, as well as by interviewing practitioners. Apparently, the literature on crisis
management practices in the hospitality industry is relatively sparse. The academic
research is based on a description of different occurrences of terror in hospitality
and tourism contexts (Aziz, 1995; Pizam and Mansfeld, 1996; Leslie, 1996), the
classification of violence activities relevant to the tourism industry (Pizam, 1999),
the potential involved with the cessation of terror activities (Anson, 1999; Butler
and Baum, 1999), and general recommendations of preparations for times of terror
(Sönmez et al., 1999).
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Mansfeld (1999) reviews the cycles of war and terror in Israel and provides some
determinants of crisis management. He suggests that one method for coping with a
crisis is by using extensive marketing, especially to local markets. Another deter-
minant includes decisions concerning infrastructure. Specifically, in times of crisis
the infrastructure should not be expanded and may even need to be limited. A final
recommendation calls for the government to play a supporting role in times of cri-
sis. While much of the aforementioned academic research revolves around classifi-
cations and general recommendations, the analysis does not reach the micro-level
required to truly evaluate what managers actually do (or should do). Therefore, the
second step in the current study involved in-depth interviews conducted with 13
managers of the leading hotel chains in Israel in order to receive their perspectives
about crisis management and ensure a wide geographical representation.
The interviews, coupled with the literature review, assisted in constructing four
categories of practices: marketing, infrastructure (or hotel) maintenance, human
resources, and governmental assistance (see Table 4). In each of the categories,
practices relevant to the crisis in the Israeli industry were listed. For example, in
the marketing category, the managers suggested that marketing efforts towards for-
eign tourists, which were traditionally considered ineffective under the terror
stricken reality, may become more relevant if they emphasize the fact that the spe-
cific geographical area promoted is remote from the areas under threat. Also, in the
government category, requests for government support and tax relief were tradi-
tional practices. However, some managers added that noticeable protests, such as
demonstrations and strikes, might also serve as a viable tool for achieving special
attention from the government. Therefore, protest against the government was
added in this context to our study of crisis management practices. With respect to
maintenance, the managers distinguished between the postponement of scheduled
“cosmetic” building maintenance and the maintenance of engineering systems. They
also suggested that scheduled payments for maintenance might need to be postponed
(the complete list of practices according to category is provided in Table 4).