Developing disaster resilience: A processual and reflective approach

ABSTRACT

This study takes a processual view of resilience to investigate how tourism organisations utilise dynamic capabilities to develop resilience in a disaster context. A longitudinal qualitative research design was used to gain insights into the process. The study uses on-site observation, secondary documents, and in-depth interviews with representatives from 25 tourism organisations and industry stakeholders across two years to provide a longitudinal understanding of disaster resilience. A dynamic resilience framework is developed based on three dynamic capability steps (sensing, seizing, transforming) and helps to explain how tourism organisations develop resilience elements at each disaster management stage. Two notable contributions include (i) a new resilience element added to the existing list of resilience development, which illustrates disruptive changes of tourism facilitated by transforming dynamic capabilities, and (ii) a trial-and-error process used by tourism organisations to improve decision-making for future disaster events. These help to explain the cyclical nature of resilience building.