Crisis Management for Cruise Tourism Industry - Coursework Example

It is the voyage along the seas and oceans for recreational or leisure purposes. As compared to regular tourists, cruise tourists are situated on ships.The cruise line industry is a continuously developing market that relies on many factors to operate successfully. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLJA), in 1970, 500,000 passengers took cruises and by 2000, 6.6 million passengers took cruises per year. Indeed, one can see the significant increase in the passengers of cruise lines.

With the development of the cruise industry, it became one of the most important elements in the economy of tourism in the world.The business of tourism has, however, not been without its share of crises that have affected the success of the industry in general. The terrorist attack of 9/11 had a significant negative impact on the tourist industry. Similarly, there were also natural disasters such as the tsunami which hit the Asian region and the hurricanes in the United States. All of these crises have adversely impacted the tourism industry by making people reluctant to travel and have afflicted cruise tourism in particular.

With the emergence of different factors, events and phenomena such as on the aspect of safety and security, the issue on the effectiveness of crisis management comes to fore. The existing perception of ineffective management of crisis situations is evident in the high presence of unsatisfied tourists. Through improved crisis management, cruise lines will be able to address security and safety concerns. Crisis management is defined as the form of decision making that is the seat-of-the-pants response to the issue of the moment with no consideration on longer-term effects (Cutter and Renwick, 2004).

In other words, it is the process of responding to the unforeseen circumstances with no time plan ahead.