Safety could be defined as a state in which people are protected and not in danger or at risk. In this regard, tourism operators must be able to identify the hazards and risks present in their premises and the personnel involved, particularly frontliners.
Apart from putting safety measures in place for customers that include visitors to their facility, they must also take cognisance of the safety of the public around the area and passers-by that could be badly injured should a signboard or air-conditioner were to fall off.
Security could be defined as safety of a premise, building, property, vicinity or organization, and also involve the destinations tourists are heading, the transportation used and the personal belongings of customers. Organisations should be very concerned with security of their websites and company data.
The main purpose of insuring is to transfer possible monetary losses through compensations to insurers by paying affordable insurance premiums. The various types of cover include public liability insurance that is often overlooked by travel agents and tour operators.
Although many people are familiar with motor insurance, the overwhelming majority are unclear and may be breaching the various terms and conditions that could nullify cover. They include fleet operators on legal liability to passengers, which is totally different from legal liability of passengers.
Counter staff must realise that it is their duty to ensure customers are covered by travel insurance and insurance commissions are only secondary. It can spell the difference between life and death in foreign countries, as many hospitals there would admit patients only after they are assured of payment.
However, it is crucial to remember that insurance does not cover everything. For premiums to be affordable, the cover is specific and limited, such as physical injuries, medical expenses, consultation fees, flight delays, trip cancellations, loss of personal belongings and even evacuation of bodies.
For tourism operators to better manage health, safety, security and insurance matters, the standard operating procedures (SOPs) must also be in writing to ensure quality service is consistently accorded to both internal and external customers, with verbal instructions given during training or on-the-job.
The litmus test for any organisation has nothing to do with its grandiose vision and mission statements that are easily crafted but purely academic with nothing concrete to show. Action speaks louder than words.
While normal SOP are needed for routine operations, contingency plans are SOP vital for handling possible natural or manmade disasters, emergencies, accidents and incidents. Unfortunately, more than 99 per cent of organisations do not have or lack sound contingency plans.
This is one area that separate the men from the boys. If one must choose between two competitors seemingly equally strong, the choice should be on the one with contingency plans.
Any organisation with contingency plans in place would have identified all the possibilities that could go wrong and would have taken measures to prevent or minimise them, and at the same time worked out plan A, B or even C to resolve them within the shortest time to minimise injuries and losses.
If not, large corporations with millions of assets, branding and reputation could be totally wiped out overnight from a poorly handled catastrophe. Much could be learned whenever tourism operators gather in a training session to share experiences, offer opinions, and discuss the challenges ahead.
YS Chan
Petaling Jaya, Selangor