How safe are we?
November 2006
It is now 5 years since 9-11 during which much has changed in the world of tourism and travel. There is no doubt that travel today is a lot harder than it was five years ago. In fact, the travel industry has changed so much and so rapidly that almost anything said about it becomes obsolete almost immediately. During the last five years, tourism and travel have come to realize that the old assumption that “security adds nothing to the bottom line” is no longer valid. Tourism today sees security as an integral part of its marketing efforts. What was once the stepchild of the travel and tourism world is now an essential part of the industry. Tourism and travel customers no longer fear security; they now embrace it and ask marketers about it. One of the ways that this new age of security is coming about is in the growth of private security forces (also known as private police forces). Private security in many parts of the world has now become an essential ingredient in tourism security. While its members do not always have the right to arrest, they do provide presence and immediate response time. As such in an age of rising taxes, private security for some areas of tourism has become an option to consider. It has also become an option to consider for city governments faced with the public’s desire for protection and relief from heavy tax burdens. In the last five years the public then has come to expect some form of security not only at airports but at such places as: Shopping centers, Amusement Areas/Parks, Transportation Hub, Hotels and Convention Centers, Cruises ships, and Sporting Events. Here is a partial list on how we in the tourism industry have been doing during the last five years.
- The Airline Industry. Perhaps no part of tourism has received as much attention around the world as the airline industry. There is no doubt that airlines are an essential part of tourism: without air transportation many locales simply die and air traffic is not only an essential part of the leisure tourism business but also an essential part of commerce, business travel and the shipment of goods. Air travel today is much less pleasant than it was five years ago. Many travelers see these measures as irrational, wasteful and pointless. Not only have new security regulations made life difficult for travelers, but also all forms of customer service have declined. From food to smiles, airlines simply provide less and often seem to be capricious in the way they treat the public. It is therefore disappointing that so little has been accomplished in air transport security. Our customers often have the feeling that airline security is more reactive than proactive, that governments and the industry are fighting the last battle.
- Possible solutions and consequences. Unless security can be both streamlined and rationalized, the tourism industry will be hurt. At some point, leisure travelers will simply decide that flying is too difficult and the results will be that vacations will become limited to areas within a day’s driving distance. Added technology will also increase the cost of air travel to the point that the cost of flying may make air tickets prohibitive. To solve this dilemma it may be necessary to concentrate on the people who may threaten visitor security rather than on the objects that may cause harm. That means better-trained personnel. These people may need to employ psychological methods to help to determine who may be a threat to air travel.
- Hotel Safety and Security. It is safe to say that 5 years after 9-11 minimal security updates have taken place at many large hotels. On the positive side, some hotels have taken the step of increased training, others have added additional security cameras (passive protections) and still others have begun to develop methodologies to protect both the loading areas and the food delivery services. Finally, in some cases there is some form of employee background check. Cities such as Las Vegas have done a good job not only with hotel employee background checks but also in integrating private and public security agencies. On the negative side, there is often no check of baggage, too many employees have no background checks and security departments, when they exist at all, are often poorly trained, paid and utilized. Many hotel mangers still use an outdated model and believe that their security forces add nothing to their bottom line.
- Restaurants. Restaurants and catering services for the most part act as if 9-11 never happened. Most restaurants and food services are performing with no distinction in service.
- Things to think about: Technologies do not save people; good people save people. This is an essential principle of tourism surety (security plus safety). The public is only as safe as the caring and concern of the people who protect them. If security personnel (both private and public) care, and most do, then levels of protection increase. If, on the other hand, security personnel are only doing a job and do not see their work as a vocation, then even the best equipment in the world will be thwarted.
- Money does not solve everything. The enemies of tourism use both economics and creative inexpensive tactics to attack the tourism industry. Thinking out of the box is essential. A good example is the use of clam diggers around Logan airport. These people are always watching the runways and many were deputized and are now used as an additional level or airport security.
- Make sure that your security personnel take care of themselves. Security is a high stress job and personnel need to take extra health precautions. Security personnel who work too many hours per day tend to miss things. Security personnel should not only have regular medical and dental check-ups but meet with nutritionists to ensure proper eating habits.
- Customer Service. The best security is provided when there is a corporate culture based on customer service. When security personnel are arrogant and uncaring, tourism security suffers. These are people who are doing more than protecting the public; they are tourism’s first line of defense and often the persons who can either prevent or transform a tragedy.
