by

Disaster Preparedness in the Thai Hospitality Industry

On behalf of Anika Malhotra:

Disaster Preparedness in the Thai Hospitality Industry

One of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, resulted in the deaths of over 230,000 people in fourteen countries and provoked worldwide humanitarian efforts which led to the donation of over USD$14B in aid. Of these fourteen countries, Thailand was one of those that were hardest hit with an estimated 8,212 death toll.

The two industries that were greatly impacted by this disaster were the fishing and tourism industries. The destruction of industrial infrastructure in coastal areas within the fishing industry had substantial impacts both on regional and national scales, affecting employment in coastal regions and foreign exchange earnings on a national level.

 

With these direct effects of the tsunami, came indirect effects within the hospitality industry. As investigations into the disaster continued, there was speculation that many of the resort hotels directly hit by the tsunami did not alert guests in a timely fashion and that staff were not well equipped to handle such situations. Moreover, regardless of whether tourist’s travel destinations were affected or not, there was a psychological concern and fear for their safety while traveling in areas of this part of the world. The hospitality industry was then hit with numerous cancellations as a result.

 

Tourist’s concerns and trip cancellations created a negative image of the hospitality industry for their lack of disaster preparedness. As the industry began to fear that this negative impact might be long lasting, many hospitality companies joined forces with humanitarian organizations to develop stronger disaster preparedness, recovery, and risk mitigating skills.

 

Addressing issues of crisis management and providing hospitality employees with the necessary skills involved gives these companies a competitive advantage. The first step in these efforts is focused on pre-crisis communication. The thought here is that communicating more effectively and implementing solutions for these situations will help rebuild trust and credibility from the public’s perspective.

 

Rather than a focus on maximizing profits for shareholders, there has been an increased focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the hospitality industry. Although brand reputation and financial factors still play a major role in the decision making process for tourists and potential employees, they are looking more for companies who contribute to more wide-ranging societal goals. These CSR contributions are often in the form of cash donations, work force initiatives, partnerships with NGO’s, and by providing shelter and evacuation. The top 3 hotel companies in the industry that are most contributing to this reform are Hilton, Marriott, and Accor.

 

The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand, The International Federation of Red Cross and Societies, and other NGO’s, as well as those in the Thai private sector formed partnerships with these hospitality companies to train employees and provide assistance and funding in these efforts to rebuild the economy in Thailand. The Tsunami Victim Relief Center was also founded days after the tsunami to help in mobilization efforts. The Royal Thai Government (RTG) has also been greatly praised for their role in providing support to the affected communities. The United Nations Country Team along with bilateral development agencies worked with the RTG to address issues and challenges in the rebuilding effort.

 

The efforts of these organizations in collaboration with hotel companies and educational efforts proved to help tremendously towards rebuilding the hospitality industry in Thailand. Below can be found the Tourism and Earnings Growth in Thailand chart as of one year after the tsunami (2005):

The above chart proves that not even fully into 2005, in Q2, there was shown a significant positive change in the percentage of tourism earnings in one year from

-6.2 to +4.4 in growth.

 

The monsoon season in Thailand in 2011 was a period in which was demonstrated how far humanitarian aid efforts and disaster preparedness have improved since the tsunami disaster in 2004. As a result of the storms during this time, flooding began to spread throughout the Northern, Northeastern, and Central areas of Thailand. These floods resulted in the deaths of 815 people, with a total of 13.6 million people having been affected by the same. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) projected a combined loss of USD$825M as a result of reduced international and national tourism, with people having cancelled their trips to the region.

 

Hotels in and around the affected areas in Thailand began to take measures to ensure the safety of their guests, and help with the relief efforts of the surrounding community. The Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok organized a thorough workshop for more than 1,000 of its staff members to drill them in how to manage the flood situation. The Shangri-La Hotel also took precautionary measures during this time by placing sandbags outside of the property in an effort to prevent water from flowing into the property and by storing enough food and medical supplies for their guests and staff to last three days in the case of an emergency situation.

More major hotel companies are doing their part to help with disaster relief in other ways:

 

a)    Marriott International converts points donated by guests into cash for contribution to the IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.

b)    Hyatt has developed a volunteer outreach program, Hyatt F.O.R.C.E- allowing for employees to provide local and worldwide support on company paid time.

c)     Hilton Honors has implemented a charity titled “Blanket them With Love” to help with the after effects of the 2011 floods in Thailand. “The project will provide 1) immediate relief to victims by giving emergency life packs (includes food and other daily necessities) to evacuees, 2) 700 financially needy families affected by the coming 4 months of cold weather with blankets, so that the most vulnerable targets like young children and elderly will be protected from diseases associated with the cold climate. 3) Help to at least 10 affected homes with repairs after the floods, so that the family go back to safe shelters.”

d)    AirAsiaGo had absorbed the cost of credit card transaction fees on their website for one month from October-November 2011. In addition to this, they worked with local hotels in Bangkok to provide discounts to travelers.

e)    As part of their CSR initiative, Hilton Pattaya donated 100,000 baht to the Rotary Club of Taksin Pattaya to help with relief and rehabilitation projects for the aid of those affected by the floods in Thailand.

In order to help with the rebuilding efforts after the floods, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has implemented a communication center that will keep event organizers updated as to the status of their future events, one such event being the annual Royal Flora Expo.

 

It is made evident to us that the efforts made for disaster preparedness by the hospitality industry in Thailand and throughout the world will help in reducing financial and emotional burdens of many of those affected by such natural disasters as the 2004 tsunami and 2011 floods. Whether it is by partnering with NGO’s or companies within the private sector to help provide employees and their families the skills needed to help mitigate the outcome of such disasters, by providing direct financial support, by sending its employees on volunteer efforts within the community or worldwide, or by providing food and shelter to those affected, the hospitality industry in Thailand is helping to rebuild security and lessen the fears of travelers worldwide.

 

 

24,986 thoughts on “Disaster Preparedness in the Thai Hospitality Industry”

  6. You have made some really good points there. I checked on the net to learn more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.|온라인카지노

  9. While looking for articles on these topics, I came across this article on the site here. As I read your article, I felt like an expert in this field. I have several articles on these topics posted on my site. Could you please visit my homepage? 온라인홀덤

  10. I’ve been troubled for several days with this topic. 메이저놀이터, But by chance looking at your post solved my problem! I will leave my blog, so when would you like to visit it?

  11. I came to this site with the introduction of a friend around me and I was very impressed when I found your writing. I’ll come back often after bookmarking! 메이저놀이터

  12. This is my first time i visit here. I found so many entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the leisure here! Keep up the good work. I have been meaning to write something like this on my website and you have given me an idea. 메이저놀이터

  14. The subsequent time I learn a blog, I hope that it doesn’t disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I do know it was my choice to read, however I actually thought you’d have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you possibly can repair if you happen to weren’t too busy looking for attention. 고스톱

  17. I carry on listening to the news broadcast lecture about getting boundless online grant applications so I have been looking around for the most excellent site to get one. Could you advise me please, where could i acquire some? 한국야동

  19. It was an awesome post to be sure. I completely delighted in understanding it in my noon. Will without a doubt come and visit this blog all the more frequently. A debt of gratitude is in order for sharing 토토

  20. This is a really very informative article, there is no doubt about it. Thanks for sharing this article with us. This is very nice of you. 경마

  21. Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I find It truly useful
    & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and
    help others like you aided me. 온라인카지노

  25. I do trust all the ideas you have offered on your post. They are very convincing and can certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are very quick for beginners. May you please extend them a little from next time? thanks you for the post. 바카라사이트인포

  27. Going to graduate school was a positive decision for me. I enjoyed the coursework, the presentations, the fellow students, and the professors. And since my company reimbursed 100% of the tuition, the only cost that I had to pay on my own was for books and supplies. Otherwise, I received a free master’s degree. All that I had to invest was my tim 파워볼사이트닷컴

  28. 사설토토
    Additional remedies include Reiki and energy therapy, chiropractic therapy, massage, meditation and visualization, acupuncture, diet and nutrition, exercise, stretching and deep breathing exercises. salvia for sale

  29. We stumbled over here by a different website and thought I might check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page again. 안전놀이터

  32. 바카라사이트윈
    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say
    that I’ve truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. After all I
    will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!

  35. This is just the information I am finding everywhere. Thanks for your blog, I just subscribe your blog. This is a nice blog. 토토

  39. I’m still learning from you, but I’m making my way to the top as well. I absolutely enjoy reading everything that is posted on your website.Keep the aarticles coming. I liked it! 온라인경마

  41. It is really a great and helpful piece of info. I’m glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing온라인카지노

  44. I was surfing net and fortunately came across this site and found very interesting stuff here. Its really fun to read. I enjoyed a lot. 토토사이트 Thanks for sharing this wonderful information.

  45. Thank you for posting the very nice informative article. Looking forward to reading more articles from you. Visit my website and Join our community!! There are promo’s and event everyday!!
    바카라사이트인포

  46. We are providing best Assignment Help service to all the students in Australia so that they can understand their assignments properly before final submission. My Assignment Help writing services help them in completing their all academic tasks on given time to get good grades in the subject.
    사설토토

  47. I really like your website.. pleasant colors & theme. Performed anyone design this website yourself or even did a person hire an attorney to make it work for you personally? Plz act in response since I!|m planning to style and design my personal weblog and also would want to realize wherever you became that from.
    바카라사이트윈

  48. I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I’m quite sure I’ll learn plenty of new stuff right here! Good luck for the next. 토토사이트

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *