The dissertation was written as part of the MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management
at the International Hellenic University. In recent years, extreme natural phenomena
have become an increasing rife, causing serious material damage and human casualties.
These phenomena are nowadays also reported in locales that have never had such
experiences before and, therefore, concerns of the wider international community have
been raised. For this reason, natural disaster management has attracted the attention
of researchers across various disciplines. One of the major areas affected by natural
disasters is the hotel industry, which entails that disaster preparedness and
management are - or ought to be - the fundamental parts for the proper operation of
each hotel unit. Within this framework the different types of natural disasters are
identified, specified and categorized. Also, the importance of preparedness and
management of natural disaster events is clarified and the various phases of these
procedures and their importance for the hotel units, are explained. The study also
examines the significance of smart technology in natural disaster management.
Moreover, the researcher presents specific cases where natural disasters have affected
the hotel units of the local community and admittedly major natural disaster eventsthat
have occurred in Greece in recent years. The purpose of this study is to investigate the
level of preparedness of 4*and 5* hotel units in Greece for natural disasters -through
the use of quantitative research based on questionnaires that were distributed
employees and managers of hotels around Greece- and also, their perspective on the
actual and potential contribution of smart technology. As the research shows, even
though the participants highlight the importance of smart technology and the belief that
a higher number of natural disaster phenomena are likely to occur in the future, there is
a stagnant use of technological means as well as the level of practice for natural disaster
management.
Collections
Show Collections
