engleski

Crisis Management in Hospitality Industry: Case of Croatia

This paper evaluates impact of 2009 economic crisis on the hospitality industry in Croatia. It discusses a strategic approach to crisis management in the hospitality industry both on governmental and firm levels. On governmental level, the paper examines the overall process of dealing with the crisis from pre-crises planning through the implementation of the crisis strategy and evaluation of the results. The research findings reveal that the Croatian government, although failed in a pre-crisis planning, in tourism sector has dealt with crisis in an effective way in terms of maintaining the level tourism demand, thus assuring the competitive country tourism results in the year of global economic crisis. However, the decline of tourism receipts in 2009 was significant. Therefore, the measures of governmental crisis management in tourism industry taken in 2009 in Croatia can be evaluated as successful only partially – in the area of physical volumes of tourism demand. Further, the paper examines the importance of crisis management and the usage of crisis management measures undertaken by top management of hospitality firms. The crisis measures are grouped in three main groups: a) marketing and sales, b) human resources, and c) operations, investment and environment. The empirical survey undertaken on the sample of hospitality firms in Croatia has revealed that top managers understand the importance of various groups of crisis management measures and are consistent in their implementation. The authors conclude that although economic crises cannot be stopped, their impacts on hospitality industry can be limited both by public sector and private organizations management action. Only the synchronized respond to crisis of public and private sectors ensures maintenance of the competitiveness and efficiency level of the hospitality industry.

Hospitality; Economic crisis; Crisis management; Croatia

nije evidentirano