Crisis Management in Tourism

PUBLICATIONS IN REVIEW This Department publishes reviews of recent publications in or related to the study of tourism. Individuals interested in submitting review essays and book reveiws should write directly to the Associate Editor for Publications in Review, Stephen Smith . Unsolicited reviews will not be accepted.

BOOK REVIEWS Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 600–601, 2008 Printed in Great Britain

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Crisis Management in Tourism Edited by Eric Laws, Bruce Prideaux and Kaye Chon. CABI 2006, xvii + 392 pp (references, figures, table, index) £65.00 Hbk. ISBN 978 1 84593 047 9 Linda M. Robson University of Waterloo, Canada September 11, 2001, changed the face of tourism forever, heralding in an era of crises. Following on the heels of this horrific event were the Bali bombing, the London bombings, Hurricane Katrina, and the Indian Ocean tsunami—all of which have illustrated the need for crisis management within the industry. No longer can tourism professionals just hope for the best, they have to plan for the worst. Crisis Management in Tourism is an attempt to analyze how some managers have dealt with such events in recent years. The editors hope to ‘‘propose improvements to current theories and provide extensive reviews and bibliographies of recent tourism research in this field, while bringing together a collection of studies of how tourism crisis events have been managed’’ (p. 2). The central message of the introduction is that pre-planning is a necessary part. The book is divided into five parts. chapters 2–11 deal with the theoretical foundations; chapters 12–17 outline natural causes of tourism crises; chapters 18–24 deal with human-caused tourism predicaments ; and chapters 25 and 26 are conclusions and suggestions for future research in crisis management. The first section on theoretical foundations contains bibliographies and definitions of ‘‘crisis’’ and its varying elements. In particular, chapters 6 and 7 provide useful foundational information for examining the subject. The largest drawback to this section is its narrow focus. Several social science theories that apply, such as cultural theory, and expected utility theory were not utilized or even mentioned. In addition, several chapters refer to risk and perception of it as an element of crisis management,

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yet none of the related research or theories were referenced. This field is extensive and contains many constructs that are applicable to tourism, making them a critical resource. The sections on natural causes and human action causes of tourism crises are well-written and illustrate the need for partnerships within the industry. However, these chapters lack suggestions for measures to avoid or reduce them, despite significant suggestions for post-crisis action. The bibliographies in chapters 12, 19, 20, and 24 are weak, but these sections otherwise contain a wealth of relevant and useful resources. The central message of the importance of pre-planning is well-developed and illustrated with relevant examples. The bibliographies, overall, are rich and current, giving readers an excellent starting point for their own investigations. However, the editors’ goal of improving current theories was not met, as these were not clearly defined. Crisis Management in Tourism is a solid introductory textbook on the topic. It is written in a coherent and logical manner, although a few chapters are difficult to read or relate to their section’s topic. This book would be useful to students and researchers starting out in this subject area. It would also be useful to professionals in all areas of tourism as an aid to developing crisis management plans. There are many suggestions and illustrations of general plans that can be adapted and/or used to develop individual strategies. This book also illustrates the importance of communication in both alleviating anxiety surrounding a crisis and in effectively and efficiently dealing with its challenges. Linda Robson: Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. Email

Assigned 20 May 2007. Submitted 20 July 2007. Accepted 23 July 2007 doi:10.1016/j.annals.2007.07.009

Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 601–603, 2008 Printed in Great Britain

Marine Ecotourism By Carl and Erlet Cater. CABI 2007 viii + 307 pp (figures, tables, index) £55 Hbk. ISBN 978 1 84593 259 6 Ralf Buckley Griffith University, Australia Sixth in the CABI Ecotourism Series, this volume illustrates three important points. First, there is a substantial eco- and adventure-tourism sector along ocean coastlines and out at sea. Second, as on land, ocean tourism is often in competition with extractive primary industries that may be severely degrading tourism resources. Third, knowledge of ocean ecosystems and of human impacts on them is far less detailed than for their terrestrial counterparts.