Catering for DRR with a multicultural, transient population

Abstract

The Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, and research experience in a variety of mainly tourism contexts, has identified that a large number of diverse and multicultural groups of people are present across New Zealand, at any one time. When disaster does strike, these groups can be difficult to safeguard and to manage appropriately, for a wide variety of reasons. Research undertaken largely in the Northland region of New Zealand indicated that tourists in particular were largely ignored as part of Civil Defence Emergency Management planning. As a result, and by running tourism-emergency management workshops, we proposed development of a Tourism Action Plan - this plan provides for improved relationships at a civil defence planning/policy organisational level, and for on-the-ground actions that reflect the specific needs of tourists and tourism operators. A recognised, and additional advantage, of developing these closer institutional relationships is the resource capacity the tourism industry can bring to immediate post disaster response initiatives. Plans for evaluating the existing tool and its implementation, and for further developing its potential use elsewhere are outlined also.