items. It can safely be inferred that disaster was not a widely studied or reported
subject prior to 1970.
Quarantelli’s (1988) research continues over the next two decades until 1988s
Disaster Crisis Management: A Summary of Research Findings is published, with the
revelation that emergency planning alone does not guarantee successful management
of an emergency. In particular:
It is very easy to assume that if there has been disaster planning there will be successful crisis
or emergency time management. After all, that would seem to be the ultimate purpose of
planning ahead of time. Unfortunately, however, research has shown that is far from being
the case; there often is a big gap between what was planned and what actually happens in a
major disaster crisis [. . .] The reason for this is twofold. One is that the preparedness
planning can be poor in the first place [. . .] Poor planning can only encourage poor
management activities [. . .] The other reason is a failure to recognize that the principles of
crisis management are different from the principles of disaster preparedness planning (p. 374).
But planning and emergency managing are not simply two sides of the same coin. This
leads to the first major conclusion: Planning is not managing.
Increases in the standard of living, leisure time, and disposable income have fueled
the construction of resorts in hazardous areas. The aging of western populations also
contributes to the overall vulnerability of society to disaster. This trend is all the more
acute when viewed through the lens of hospitality. More vulnerable persons, both in
number and vulnerability, are travelling internationally to vacation in more
increasingly hazardous places. A homogenous population is easier to assist and less
vulnerable (i.e. more resilient) during an emergency. The essence of community
worldwide is trending towards erosion, leading to lowered resilience. This should be of
particular interest to an urban hotel with an international clientele. While the model is
not perfectly defined, there is evidence to support a shift toward longer-term
sustainability of business as opposed to a pure profit driven, or shareholder focus. The
corporate social responsibility phenomenon is a clear indicator of this evolution. This
brings on the second major finding: The future is not a repeat of the past.
Drabek (1995), examined the level of disaster preparedness and evacuation planning
in 185 tourist businesses to determine what effect planning had on preparedness, what
forces stand in the way of preparedness, and what lessons could be learned. The
lessons gleaned from the study are:
(1) Plan appropriate actions.
(2) Resist threat denial.
(3) Have one person in charge.
(4) Improve employee and customer communication.
(5) Anticipate the needs of special populations.
(6) Recognize family priorities.
(7) Structure media relationships.
Note the importance of lesson 1: Plan appropriate actions. Drabek identified the major
paradigm shift proposed in this paper: Do not plan according to threat, but rather
according to action. In other words do not plan based on what can happen, instead plan
for what actions can reasonably be executed by the property.