The tourism industry is vulnerable to all kinds of emergency events. These events are in turn impacted by further complexities arising from a range of consequences, themselves exacerbated by inevitable knock-on effects. As a result, the tourism industry is vulnerable to physical damage and loss to critical infrastructure and super structure. It is also vulnerable to injury and loss to human life, and loss to the environment. Finally, it is vulnerable to its reputation in terms of the image portrayed of the destinations resulting in a drastic fall in the number of visitors. Some impact can be mitigated by the improving links and the understanding between the tourism industry and the emergency services thereby facilitating future emergency response to any potential incident, particularly in destinations which receive a high volume of tourists. The complex nature of emergencies requires the involvement of multiple emergency response actors; above and beyond the usual emergency services. This in turn requires effective communication and co-ordination in order to ensure a successful outcome. Despite the fact that several studies have been carried out into the integration of the tourism industry with emergency management systems on land, very little research has focused on the cruise industry. Cruise ships are an important consideration because with their ever-increasing size, they are now floating destinations, hosting thousands of tourists. This study seeks to fill that gap by using building-block scenarios within which to examine the concept of an integrated emergency response system for the tourism industry in Oman with specific focus upon the cruise ship sector.

The tourism industry is vulnerable to all kinds of emergency events. These events are in turn impacted by further complexities arising from a range of consequences, themselves exacerbated by inevitable knock-on effects. As a result, the tourism industry is vulnerable to physical damage and loss t...