Tourism, Security and Safety From Theory to Practice

Choosing the Right Strategy to Solve the Image Related Crisis
Having surveyed the various strategies used by destinations to change a negative
image, the issue that remains is how to select the correct strategy for a given situ-
ation. Some of the many factors behind this decision include the specific circum-
stances and nature of the crisis, the amount and nature of negative press received
by the destination, and the feasibility of hosting mega-events. If, for example, the
actual problems that led to a crisis and the formation of a negative image have not
been solved—such as crime against tourists and a perceived lack of safety—it will
not be productive to select a strategy that involves attracting visitors or public opin-
ion leaders to the destination in order to nullify stereotypical perceptions, or to
deliver counter-stereotypical messages.
It is also crucial to address the issue of how widespread the negative image is
among the target population, and if it is at all possible to change this image. If the
image is not extremely unfavorable, is not very prevalent, and is relatively easy to
change, the best strategy is probably to ignore it. Spanish cities can ignore terror-
ist attacks because the attacks are perceived as being targeted at specific politicians
or occurring outside the tourist demand area (Nielsen, 2001); cities in Israel, in
which terrorists target the civilian population, cannot disregard such attacks, espe-
cially since extensive media coverage is given to them. In any case, the choice of
this strategy depends on the strength of the place as central tourist destination: “A
‘flagship destination’—because of its inherent popularity—recovers quickly from
adverse publicity” (Nielsen, 2001, p. 219). In other words, the decision to choose
the “business as usual” strategy depends on the size and amount of the crisis’s
PR Strategies for Destination Image Crises
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media coverage, as well as the specific nature of the crisis. Employing a strategy
of counter stereotypical messages is likely to be the best option if a crisis is not
very serious and the negative image is prevalent but relatively easy to change. On
the other hand, in cases where the problem is very well known and difficult to solve
through counter-stereotypical messages, it is more logical to first address the prob-
lems with the destination’s reality, for example, fighting crime or improving tourist
infrastructure, and then to market the change to the destination.