Tour operators must ensure the safety and security of their customers and staff wherever they may be. But safeguarding just one hotspot is already a big challenge even for the authorities, what more for tour operators as tourists can be anywhere in the country or overseas.
Tourism safety and security cover a very wide scope. Without establishing the parameters, measures introduced or implemented were only on piecemeal basis. A complete structure that encompasses all grounds must be found to ensure that no stones are left unturned.
In a large workshop held over three days, I was assigned to a group tasked with producing the training module on safety and security of tourists. I managed to conceptualise a method to establish the parameters and find effective measures.
I coined it as the 3P+3S method, which are abbreviations for English and Malay words. As the module will be used for training travel industry personnel nationwide, trainers ought to understand the concept well in order to engage meaningfully with the participants.
However, it is important that trainees are not spoon-fed, which will render training less effective. Therefore, the 3P should not be unveiled without first getting the participants to think hard, a perquisite to learn something deep and well.
Trainers can start by writing three P vertically on the whiteboard and ask the question: Where can tourists be at any one time? After a five-second pause, repeat the question, as silence is likely to descend while participants rack their brains for an answer.
To give them a clue, disclose all three P are for places and declare that tourists, or anyone, could only be at one of these three places at any one time. This will elicit answers such as hotel, beach, restaurant, island, swimming pool, jungle, theme park, cave, airport and mountain.
Their answers are to be grouped into the first and third P. Although trainees could see their distinctive difference, they may not be able to name the two groups. The trainer can then point out that one is natural environment and the other man-made structures.
Next, participants are asked to provide answers to the second P. They are likely to say transport, plane, train, bus and others. The correct answer is: Tourists are travelling from one place to another, including on foot, if they are not at a natural environment or man-made structure.
After establishing the parameters, various places visited by tourists are to be identified, including mode of transport, to be followed by zooming in on specific hazards and risks. It is a given that measures for safety and security cannot be applied across the board.
Not only that, different course of action ought to be taken at various points in time, as there is a proper time for everything. Trainees are to be reminded that there are three stages for every planned activity, such as a tour.
The next concept is on finding effective measures. It can be easily explained by writing three S vertically on the whiteboard, disclosing they are for three Malay words. Participants are likely to provide the right answers to this poser. They are Sebelum, Semasa and Selepas.
Trainer can then confirm that Sebelum is at the preparation stage. Although preparation is not everything, it is close, as many things can easily go wrong without adequate groundwork or homework.
Semasa is while delivering the service, which would be smooth if handled by competent personnel and risk-free when in full compliance with the law. Selepas is not the normal post-mortem or post tour meetings and reports, but activating contingency plan when disaster strikes.
Most organisations may have standard operating procedure (SOP) for routine matters. Contingency plan is SOP for handling disasters, accidents and incidents such as missing a flight or passport.
Most large organisations have grandiose vision and mission statements, but they are hollow without a contingency plan in place. If so, their key performance indicator (KPI) is more of a syiok sendiri exercise without duty of care to customers or the public.
While it is good for tour operators to be certified by International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), it is better to develop a comprehensive contingency plan, which requires a monumental effort to set up, and training given to all staff to perform their respective roles.
The best criteria in choosing the most reliable service provider would be one with a state-of-the-art contingency plan, which can only be developed in-house. It will have to start with a working committee of five to eight staff brainstorming and listing what can possibly go wrong.
Next would be the arduous task of finding two or more solutions to overcome each of the challenges, and these include the identifying the best persons to handle them and contact numbers, apart from what the first witness could do within seconds to minimise injuries or damage.
Without a contingency plan and activating it, losses could easily escalate within minutes or hours, and the incident could turn into a public relations disaster, affecting the company’s image or brand irreparably.
Without a contingency plan, most staff would be panicky and at a loss. By the time it gets to the boss, it will be too late and end up with more finger-pointing. A major disaster could wipe out a business and all the years of hard work go down the drain.
After a contingency plan has been drafted, it must be approved by the top management, and followed by staff briefing and training to fill the gaps. Contingency plans must be revised at least once a year as there will be transfers, retirements, resignations or recruitments.
An organisation with contingency plan would probably have identified all the possible things that can go wrong and have taken measures to prevent or minimise them. But should they occur, they are brought under control without delay to minimise damage, injuries and sufferings.
It can be as trivial as the office lock being tampered and the first staff who noticed it in the morning would have called the appointed locksmith before other workers arrive. With minimal interruption, it will be another productive day for everyone in the office.
Contingency plans, in PDF form, could easily be sent, stored and retrieved from smartphones. Likewise, information for tourists could also be sent in this manner, as what they hear during pre-departure briefings are mostly forgotten by the time they are on tour.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
