Crisis management in an enterprise is a strategy that should be developed by every company, regardless of the industry. Nevertheless, it is the tourism industry that, like no other, sells its customers a certain promise. It offers a product that cannot be touched before purchase, and can only be seen in the photo. Consequently, the only way for a potential tourist to assess the quality of a tourism product is to rely on what the supplier provides. Crisis situations can negatively affect this picture. Can it be remedied and how? Look for hints in the text.
The significance of the crisis is that one unlucky incident can ruin company imagewhich has been built over the years of activities, not only in the framework of the public relations. In the case of the tourism industry, this is all the more acute because it is the image of the destination that largely determines the decision to visit a given tourist destination. Each scratch on it should therefore alert you to potential danger. Crisis management in a tourist enterprise is an operation that companies must be prepared for if they do not want to let the situation get out of control.
The image of the destination in the tourism industry
The decision to visit a given tourist destination is largely influenced by its image. The target image is a fairly abstract vision that potential guests have in mind. Importantly, each person has a different one, depending on their prior knowledge based on facts and figures, as well as assumptions and feelings about the destination. The target image differs from other image types because it is inevitably related to the image of the country or region that the tourist is going to visit. In research on the image of other industries, commercial sources of information are mainly used. Contrary to this, sources of information not related to tourism also have a large impact on the image of a tourist destination. What exactly? The media and the news they convey. They are one of the important sources of information influencing the image of a destination, as they inform the public about current political, economic and social events. All this has an impact on the perception of the destination by potential guests - customers of companies from the tourism industry.
That sooner or later crisis management in a tourism enterprise it will be necessary to implement, it is almost certain. Where does this belief come from? In crisis situations, unfavorable images of the political, economic or social situation at the destination are disseminated worldwide via multiple media channels. As a consequence, even people who are not afraid of the dangers of political and social instability in a given place will receive negative news that will influence their decisions. Undoubtedly, the aspect of security is of great importance when it comes to the image of a tourist destination and the decision-making process of visiting a given place. With the impression that the destination is not safe to visit, potential tourists will exclude it from the list of places they wish to visit.
Crisis management is an operation.
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What is crisis management in a tourism enterprise?
The travel product is mostly intangible and cannot be inspected or tested prior to purchase. Plus, it's also varied and complex - often made up of a combination of many different service providers. The distance between the location where the product is purchased and the location where the service is actually provided can be considerable. This, in turn, makes it difficult for potential tourists to assess the quality of the tourist product they buy in advance. Therefore, tourism marketing depends to a large extent on creating favorable images. The feeling of security at your destination is one of the key decision factors. No wonder travel providers have to reduce their customers' insecurity and their risk perception.
Often the reasons why a given place may be perceived as dangerous result from external conditions. Most of them are not much influenced by companies. However, crisis management in a tourism enterprise consists in developing an action plan that would solve the existing problems. It is equally important to proactively anticipate a future crisis and to develop and implement preventive actions. It is also important to prepare an implementation plan for actions that need to be implemented when a crisis actually comes.
Crisis management in an enterprise - examples of activities in the tourism industry
Good crisis communication planning can be one of the best investments travel companies have ever made. No other action in the initial hours, days and weeks of the crisis can so significantly mitigate its effects. Crisis management in a company based on clear and thoughtful communication helps to limit the negative effects of the crisis. It satisfies the information needs of all stakeholders in an efficient, timely and responsible manner. It is worth developing a crisis communication toolkit that would include, inter alia, step-by-step action protocols or checklists.
Communication strategyalso in times of crisis, nowadays it has to take social media into account. Especially since they proved their worth not only as promotion and advertising channels, but also as a powerful tool during the crisis. In the digital world, everything happens at lightning speed, people require hyper-transparency, and dialogue is as important as the transmission of messages. Crisis management in a company based on the "let's do nothing, maybe we can wait" strategy? Not of these things. Silence is not an option.
Regardless of how well the company prepares the procedures, the employees will probably turn out to be the most important link in a crisis situation. Especially those operating on the so-called the front line. They interact with clients and have the power to help or hinder them in times of crisis. If they are not prepared, they may unknowingly jeopardize management's efforts to rectify the situation. The best way to ensure that your staff is competent to help in a crisis is through proper training. With the right skills, workers are most likely to deal with the crisis if it does come. If they manage to resolve customer issues in person or over the phone, they are less likely to manifest their dissatisfaction on the Internet.
Crisis management in the enterprise - encountered problems
A crisis situation means a greater level of complexity related to managing both the problem and the long-term effects of the crisis for the company. Crisis management in a company must take into account, inter alia, operational, financial and reputational effects. In most cases, the crisis will affect more than one of them. Rapidly assess the impact of the crisis and frequent reassessments are likely to influence the company's decisions. It will also change the way we communicate and the urgency of resolving problems. In many cases, the impact of a crisis on a company's reputation outweighs the operating costs in a crisis. News sites and social media are thirsty for blood, and companies in crisis are a tasty morsel. Therefore, the previously mentioned prevention of exposure to the proverbial shot is of key importance.
Crisis management in an enterprise requires quick reaction. The longer an organization is in crisis, the less likely it is to return to normal business operations. In times of crisis, the risk of making a critical mistake increases significantly. Crisis situations often lead companies to abandon the use of structured management processes and bypass control mechanisms. Instead, there is a desire to act according to the maxim "break a glass in an emergency". Although there are occasions when exceptions to normal operating procedures are warranted. Except that these are the exceptions that prove the rule. It is important not to replace objective reasoning with purely emotional responses. Doing so often leads to the selection and implementation of inappropriate "solutions". Ones that not only do not actually solve the problem, but may even mask the symptoms. Solutions implemented in crisis situations must take into account both long-term and short-term effectiveness.