Covid-19 Rapid Response Team

… for an Age of Pandemics and beyond

Overview

Tourism is a fast-paced industry and when crises or (negative) events occur, often the industry must scramble to keep natural or man-made challenges under control.  Currently, Covid-19 has created the greatest challenge for the travel and tourism industry ever.  This was a crisis about which few if any were prepared.  It is a perfect example of what academics call a “black swan” event. It is for this reason that Tourism & More as part of SaferTourism and Rebuilding Tourism has developed a “Pandemic Rapid Response Team” (PRRT).  Our PRRT is composed of a myriad of professionals from tourism security experts to public health personnel, from marketers to specialists in business recovery.  We can help you diagnose your particular situation and develop a strategic set of priorities that will allow your part of the travel and tourism industry to get back on its feet as soon as possible. 

OBJECTIVES

  • The PRRT can aid locales to deal with the evolving situation of health emergencies, public fear of travel, economic turndown, and an irregular stock market. Although Covid-19 is a worldwide phenomenon, its impact differs for each tourism destination. For example, destinations that are air or sea dependent will have different problems from destinations that can turn to a domestic market for the short term.  Long haul markets such as Hawaii, or the Caribbean cannot depend on domestic travel., Other markets such as Korea, Europe, and the United States may be able to use domestic travel as a stop-gap measure.
  • The PRRT will work with locales to develop both short and long-range solutions. This means coordination with:
  1. Government and public sectors
  2. The Business sector
  3. The local tourism industry sectors such as hotels and restaurants
  4. The transportation sector
  5. The entertainment and sports sector\
  • Develop positive media coverage or use media coverage to convey the full story rather than a partial and exaggerated story both to the local population and to the broader market
  • Aid the locale in reestablishing its economic footing through the seeking of grants and the development of economic recovery plans. These plans should include ways to:
  • Face the issues of unemployment through training and/or retraining
  • Seek new sources of revenue
  • Develop new attractions
  • Develop medical inventories and then utilize medicine as a means to to aid in the rebuilding process. The creation of Covid Resilience Zones
  • Develop and tailor training to both confront the crisis and to move beyond the crisis
  • Demonstrate how the recovery can move a locale from reactive to proactive management of its world perceptions and in specific locations

Actions

The PRRT will implement some or all of the following actions as determined by the locale’s need to respond.

Loading...
  1. Define the locale’s or business’ particular crisis and then determine which experts will be most helpful in the short term
  2. Develop a workable budget so that the needs and cost of experts can be matched with a realistic budget.
  3. Develop short-range, mid-range and long-range tourism renewal plans
  4. Work with your leadership both in person, when possible and via telecommunication when necessary
  5. Creation of a rebirth of tourism map
  6. Creation of a continuity map to help your leadership determine which options are best for your locale or business
  7. Create ways to connect with key media outlets as soon as possible
  8. Assess the damage to your community or business and then develop a recovery plan based on verified data rather than on wishful thinking
  9. Help local authorities find additional funding so as to manage the event and to begin to enter into a recovery phase
  10. Offer suggestions for a long-term recovery including the correct studies as needed and additional training 

Time periods

We have designed the PRRT to be on-the-ground task force when possible and an electronic support mechanism when necessary.  It is not meant to be in any one place for long periods of time, but rather to stop the “hemorrhaging” and offer the local authorities rapid response goals for later implementation.

The PRRT works with local agencies such as hospitals, police, media, and other first responders to develop a rapid line of action that will allow the various components of the local tourism industry to recover as quickly as humanly possible and with the least amount of physical and economic pain possible.

Contact

Dr. Peter Tarlow: [email protected]
PH / WhatsApp : +1-979- 219-0209

www.safertourism.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1]black swan is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Black swan events are characterized by their extreme rarity, their severe impact, and the widespread insistence they were obvious in hindsight.