Tourism disaster risk communication: Foreign employees¡¯ preparedness and involvement in the Japanese accommodation industry

A research note co-authored by CTR affiliated researchers, Dr. Hayato Nagai, Dr. Hiroaki Saito (CTR Visiting Fellow), Dr. Giuseppe Aliperti (CTR Visiting Fellow) and Prof. Brent Ritchie has been published in Tourism Planning & Development.

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Title

Tourism disaster risk communication: Foreign employees¡¯ preparedness and involvement in the Japanese accommodation industry

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Authors

Hayato Nagai, Faculty of Tourism / Center for Tourism Research, Wakayama University

Hiroaki Saito, College of International Management, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University / Center for Tourism Research, Wakayama University

Giuseppe Aliperti, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Deusto / Disaster Prevention Institute, Kyoto University / Center for Tourism Research, Wakayama University

Brent W. Ritchie, UQ Business School, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, The University of Queensland / Center for Tourism Research, Wakayama University

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Source

Tourism Planning & Development

November 2021

DOI: 10.1080/21568316.2021.2001038

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21568316.2021.2001038

* Indexed in Scopus

Journal details: https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/19900191973

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Abstract

Tourism operators play an important role in risk communication during a natural disaster. This study focussed on foreign employees in the Japanese accommodation industry and explored their preparedness for natural disasters and involvement in the disaster risk communication process. Adopting the mental models approach as the basis for the investigation, semi-structured interviews were conducted with foreign employees working at traditional Japanese-style inns (ryokan). The results indicated that foreign workers often do not receive training on how to handle natural disasters at work and are excluded from the risk communication process. Furthermore, their knowledge of local hazards was limited. As this is a timely and important topic, future research directions are proposed to extend discussion on this topic further.

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Keywords

Accommodation industry; Foreign employees; Japan; Natural disasters; Risk communication; Ryokan