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The Second Battle for New Orleans
by Dr. Peter Tarlow


As the news continues to come in, it is becoming apparently clearer that New Orleans and the US Gulf Coast are suffering the worst "natural" disaster in US history.  While hurricanes are not tsunamis and are predictable, the cost of this crisis, in both economic and life terms is astronomical.  Indeed, no one knows the full extent of the damage.

While each disaster has its own special characteristics, there are certain patterns that are already beginning to emerge from this major crisis.  While none of us can turn to clock back to the days before Katrina devastated New Orleans, along with Mississippi's and Alabama's Gulf coasts, prudent thought can provide vital lessons for the tourism industry.  Here are a few lessons we all need to relearn.

_Tourism is an industry that depends on the well being of the total community.  The current crisis is not just about tourism but about the total community.  The breaking of the New Orleans' levees touched everyone. As such this crisis ought to remind the entire tourism industry that it is only as safe as weakest part of its community's infrastructure. No amount of marketing can compensate for the suffering and economic loss now felt by the region's peoples.

-Make sure that you have a good risk management plan in effect. Some of the worst damage occurred in hotels.  That ought to serve as a wake-up call to many in the tourism industry. Have you asked yourself questions such as: Do you have evacuation plans?  How will guests communicate to loved ones that they are safe?  If you are in the US, what connections are there between Homeland Security, FEMA and your CVB? If you are outside of the USA, is your national tourism office connected with your specific government agencies?

_The New Orleans experience ought to serve to remind people in the first world just how dependent they are on services such as power plants, electricity and air conditioning.  Tourism scholars and experts may want to review how big is too big concerning infrastructure.   When thousands of people are housed in a hotel that has lost electricity, air conditioning and potable water it become all too clear how dependent the tourism industry is on these basic infrastructures.  As an industry, we will need to review how hotels and attractions are built so there is a new balance developed between economic scales of efficiency and responsible tourism security

-Remember that All crises have a human element.  The locations that suffered from the hurricane Katrina need to review what they should have done differently.  While the Mississippi and Alabama Coasts are mainly sun 'n surf destinations, New Orleans is a major city, which functions not only around tourism but also around businesses, commerce and transportation.  This crisis ought to teach us all how interrelated tourism is with these other industries. .

 -Tourism security is as much about developing plans to deal with both natural disasters as it is about developing plans to stop human-made disasters.

-The tourism industry needs to recognize that tourism surety is about both security and safety.  Hurricane Katrina once again ought to have taught us that acceptable risk when it comes to human life is nothing more than gambling with people's lives and the very life of the tourism industry.  Any tourism community that does not have a well-trained tourism security unit ought not to be shocked when it looses its industry.

 -There is a high priority for risk management techniques to be looked at from every angle.  All too often, tourism surety is seen as adding nothing to the bottom line and plays second fiddle to marketing. This is a major mistake.  Without tourism surety there is no bottom line!

-The tourism world must recognize that crisis management is often a manifestation of poor risk management.  Much of the world's tourism industry is located in close proximity to the world's oceans, and another large portion of the world's tourism industry is located in seismic areas or areas that are prone to other natural disasters.  That means that tourism conferences and leaders ought to be discussing preventative measures before a crisis occurs rather than after the crisis has taken place.

_ The tourism community needs to develop a cadre of experts who can help communities help themselves. New Orleans and the US Gulf Coast cannot recover on their own.  Once the initial shock wave has worn off, as an international caring industry, tourism specialists should be working with the people of this region to help them not only rebuild, but to rebuild in a responsible and sustainable fashion.

To help here is a checklist of things we all need to review.

Make sure the media tell the truth and provides accurate information

Avoid media speculation

Do not simply rebuild, but rebuild in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Understand that we are working for "recovering " (a dynamic state) rather than "recovery" (a static state)

Pay attention to the total recovery of both individuals and communities. Work toward their physical, mental, psychological and economic recovering

Be kind; remember that the people in these regions scared on some level will be for life

Just as in the case of last year's tsunami, there are no words that can properly express the sympathies of the world to the people who have suffered from this major disaster.  We, however, can learn from these tragedies and work so that in the future as an industry we can assure ourselves that we have done everything possible to provide a safe, secure and hassle free tourism experience.

Dr. Peter Tarlow is an expert specializing in the impact of crime and terrorism on the tourism industry, event risk management, and in tourism and economic development. He can be reached by email at tourism@bihs.net or by telephone at +1-979-764-8402.

Dr. Peter Tarlow
1218 Merry Oaks,
College Station, Texas, 77840-2609, USA.
Telephone: (979) 764-8402.