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When tourism-industry historians write about the early 21st century, they may well view the week of October 1, 2017 as one of its hardest moments.  The week began with news of terrorism attacks in both France and Canada, then quickly culminated in the shocking massacre of 59 concertgoers which took place at Mandalay Bay Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Most people understandably want to know the personal history of shooter Stephen Paddock and what motivated him. But there are o

In the middle of the 19th century, Dickens wrote his famous Tale of Two Cities about life in Paris during the French Revolution. Dickens contrasts the life of les misérables”(the poor) with the life of ceux de bonheur (those living happy lives).  In 2017, Paris once again presents to those who come to it a tale of two cities. 

In February 2017, I was the guest of the CNI-SYNHORCAT, the largest French tourism trade association.  The CNI-SYNHORCAT invited me to address an elite group of concerne

The multiple recent terrorist attacks in diverse places such as London, Istanbul, San Bernardino, Sharm El-Sheikh, and Tel Aviv, along with the major tourism threats in others like Ankara, Brussels, Munich, and New York City, ought to serve as a warning to the tourism industry that it is entering into a new and dangerous age.  

In the past, most tourism centers assumed that either they would not be targets of a terrorism attack or that the attack would be against a highly specific and well-k

This month has not been easy for specialists in tourism security. We first witnessed the terrorist bombing of the Russian aircraft, causing not only death and destruction to innocent civilians but also a major blow to Egypt’s tourism industry. Then, on Friday the 13th, the first reports of the terrible attacks in Paris began to come through the newswires.

It is still too early to provide a full security picture of the events. The French police are correctly holding back information and being

When we think of tourism security, we tend to think about either criminal acts that often plague the tourism industry such as: pick-pocketing, room invasions, or con artists, or about "traditional" acts of terrorism such as a bomb.  Rarely do we consider the hidden forms of terrorism that can have an impact on the tourism industry. These forms of terrorism are often not detected until it is too late and while bombs are public killers actions such as bioterrorism are often silent killers.

The 

With the onset of the summer travel season in much of the world June is a good time to ask ourselves how well we are protecting our tourism sites.  Airlines and other forms of transportation have the advantage that they received government security.  Most other forms of tourism, such as hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and major attractions such as theme parks receive little or no government security or protection.  In most cases, the tourism industry can depend on no one but itself.

Despit

FROM TOURISM & MORE'S "TOURISM TIDBITS," JANUARY 2013:

The tragic recent school shootings in the US have underlined once again the fact that too many people see police departments and other forms of security as adding nothing to the bottom line.  For example, from the perspective of too many tourism professionals, security people, be they public or private, are a necessary expense.  These tourism professionals often express the opinion that security agents do nothing to promote the locale and o

Tourism is facing four challenges that are perhaps more threatening than at any time since September 11, 2001.  What is interesting is that just as in the years prior to 9/11, many tourism officials have simply chosen either to ignore threats or to dismiss them with a great deal of verbiage and little actions.  Although Al-Qaeda, as it was constituted some 14 years ago, is less of a threat, terrorism has evolved into new and perhaps more dangerous organizations.  This month, Tourism Tidbits pr

TOURISM & MORE'S "TOURISM TIDBITS"

May 2012

International Tourism Month and Tourism Security & Safety

The city of Las Vegas will hold its 19th conference on tourism security and safety during the month of May.  The choice of this month is not an accident as May is the international month for tourism, and the first rule of good hospitality is taking care of our guests.  All too often tourism professionals see themselves as marketers rather than hosts.  Realty is different however.  Visitors eventual