Tools and templates
Below you can download templates and tools to help you implement the different components of the basic risk management system for tour operators.
Risk Assessment
If you want to systematically assess you risks, you can use the Iceland Tourist Board’s Vakinn template here.
You can download GIZ's version, which is based on the Vakinn template, here.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
New Zealand’s Support Adventure provides guidelines for defining your own SOPs here.
You can download SOP for drivers here, for guides here, and for accommodation staff here.
Emergency Preparedness Plans
To help you make plans of actions used by tour personnel to respond to accidents or emergencies, you can make use of the National Tour Association’s Guide to Developing Crisis Management Plans here.
You can download GIZ's template , which is based on the Icelandic Tourism Board's Vakinn Safety Plan, here.
Incident Reports
To keep records on your accidents and near-accidents and prevent them from happening in the future you can download the Icelandic Tourist Board's Vakinn template here or download the template from New Zealand's Support Adventure here.
You can download GIZ's version, which is based on the Vakinn template, here.
Guidelines
Numerous organizations provide comprehensive guidelines and reports on various risk and safety management topics. Below you can read more about the different materials freely available.
Icelandic Tourist Board
Comprehensive risk and safety management guidelines and templates for tour operators.
Read More
Support Adventure
A platform by adventure tour operators in New Zealand which has made numerous risk and safety management tools and templates for tourism businesses accessible.
Read More
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
A worldwide federation of national standard bodies, created a standard outlining the requirements of a safety management system for adventure tourism activity providers. They also published a guide for small- and medium-sized tour operators on how to implement this standard.
Read More
Adventure Travel Guide Qualification and Performance Standard
A voluntary guideline offered to the tourism industry by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). Governments, destination managers, and company owners are encouraged to refer to this standard when evaluating the quality and performance of their own guides and determining appropriate training programs.
Read More
Institute of Internal Auditors (IAA)
IAA has published a report that looks at the key risks that organizations will face in the coming years, provides important benchmarking on capability to support risk planning, and offers direction to help align and enhance risk management strategy and execution.
Click here
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
International Centre for Sustainable Tourism has published numerous reports and guidelines on managing risk, crises and disasters for businesses and public stakeholders in the tourism industry. This report enables a comprehensive understanding of the Sustainable Development of a Tourism Destination.
Click here
A number of excellent tourism-related risk management textbooks, particularly to do with outdoor and adventure tourism, have been produced in recent years.
Risk and Safety Management in the Leisure, Events, Tourism and Sports Industries
by Mark Piekarts, Ian Jenkins and Peter Mills.
Managing Risk: Systems Planning for Outdoor Adventure Programs
by Jeff Jackson and Jon Heska.
Institutions
Several organizations and businesses specialize on providing risk management trainings and/or consulting services for both private companies and public institutions in the tourism sector.
Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA)
Through AdventureEDU, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) offers various trainings on safety and risk management and other topics of interest for tourism businesses and stakeholders
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NOLS
A nonprofit global wilderness school that provides trainings (classroom based and in remote wilderness areas around the world) for a variety of outdoor activities.
Read more
Additionally, NOLS organizes conferences and other events and displays useful resources, reports and case studies related to Risk Management in outdoor tourism on their web.
Read more
Initiatives
In several regions of the world, projects and initiatives aim to promote tourism through better risk management. Read more about them below.
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Through its Sustainable Development of Tourism program, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), assists members in assessing and mitigating risks related to tourism on a national level.
Read More
Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM)
The Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM), together with Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), aims to contribute to improved disaster risk management worldwide. GIDRM has launched Hotel Resilient, an initiative that aims to strengthen resilience in the tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific region.
Read More
PreventionWeb.net
A participatory web platform for the disaster risk reduction community. Its purpose is to facilitate an understanding of the subject of disaster risk reduction and the work of professionals in this area by providing current news and views on the topic, and tools for exchange and collaboration.
Read More
Overview training material, handbooks and manuals developed by the project
Project has developed several handbooks and guidelines :
- Facilitator manual : An introduction to risk management in adventure tourism for touropeators, guides, drivers and guesthouse facilities
- Brochure Safety travel : guidelines for guides and tour managers
- Health and safety handbook for adventure tourism : a guidance for national tourism institutions and associations
- Risk and safety management skill building in adventure tourism destinations- handbook for tour operators
- Safe Guest house : guidelines for guest house managers and staff
Project has developed a comprehensive overview of the online training courses, guidelines, manuals and country examples supported by Explore Worldwide and GIZ over the last 5 years.
Project has developed several handbooks and guidelines :
- Facilitator manual : An introduction to risk management in adventure tourism for touropeators, guides, drivers and guesthouse facilities
- Brochure Safety travel : guidelines for guides and tour managers
- Health and safety handbook for adventure tourism : a guidance for national tourism institutions and associations
- Risk and safety management skill building in adventure tourism destinations- handbook for tour operators
- Safe Guest house : guidelines for guest house managers and staff
Project has developed a comprehensive overview of the online training courses, guidelines, manuals and country examples supported by Explore Worldwide and GIZ over the last 5 years.
Training material on Pharmacovigilance (temporary location for downloading purposes, not related to risk and safety management project)
Agenda + slides of training in Feb 2022 (in English)
Agenda + slides of training in June 2021 (in French)
Agenda + slides of training in March 2021 (in English)