Tourists' and tourism suppliers' perceptions toward crisis management on tsunami

This study describes tourists' perceptions toward the importance of safety measures across tourists who stay at different types of accommodation; compares the pre and post analysis of such safety measures during normal time and six months after the disaster and identify safety measures that contribute the most to the sense of beach safety. This study uses a survey, interviews, and observation. The target population was inbound tourists traveling to Thai beaches. It was found that respondents who participated in the survey six months after the March 2011 Japanese tsunami placed more importance on almost all tsunami safety measures than those who did the survey six years after the Indian Ocean tsunami. Guests at guest houses, placed the highest importance on all safety measures, whereas guests at upscale hotels, placed the lowest importance. Moreover, perceptions of beach safety were dependent on the availability of a tsunami evacuation system and a crisis management plan.

► Without crisis, tourists perceive tsunami warnings and crisis management somewhat important. ► After a tragedy, these are viewed as more important. ► Most tourism suppliers do not want to remind tourists of the tsunami.