�The hotel and restaurant sector must start working proactively to build in stronger safeguards to protect itself, and its customers, in an increasingly risky environment,� said Allan Nyren, deputy director of event co-sponsors the Swedish Hotel & Restaurant Association (SHR).  After two days of intensive debate, representatives of hospitality and supplier companies, academics and consultants concluded the industry must move the issue up the management agenda, and identified why and how this could be achieved.

Participants agreed that the impact of the issue is currently underestimated by the industry, which is surprising given the sensitivity of hospitality�s image. Even minor security incidents can have a major impact on the way a destination is perceived.  The issue is increasingly global rather than local in scope, and perceptions of risk are widening as travellers are exposed to new threats to personal and professional well-being, including environmental degradation, open borders, technology viruses, holidays with in-built physical risk such as adventure tourism, and increasing concerns about the safety of the food they eat.

There was consensus within the Think-Tank that these create mounting customer expectations of the hotel to provide a �safe haven� as part of the total experience.

�Survey any number of guests as to what their major requirements are when choosing a hotel and destination. Safety and security scores in the top three.  Survey any number of hoteliers on what drives them in their development of guest service, and meeting and exceeding guest expectations is almost always mentioned,� commented Paul Moxness, city chief of security Copenhagen, Radisson SAS Hotels Worldwide.

For participants, the bottom line is not should operators invest, but that they cannot afford not to.  New threats translate into bigger risks for hotels in terms of professional liability and negligence issues, and bring the prospect of regulation ever closer. Poor safety and security provisions undermine customer confidence, push up insurance premiums and weaken profitability. The challenge for hotels, they agreed, is to protect their current net present value from safety and security risks by making the right investments - at the right time.  The difficulty lies, however, in measuring the return on enhanced safety and security.

Think-Tank participants saw a strong need for the industry to be proactive in educating and informing guests and staff, identifying the following areas as opportunities:

• �On the road�, for example through in-flight videos on the security situation in a given destination.
• �On the property� - at the front desk or in the guest room, building awareness of the existence of victim assistance, evacuation and emergency drills, crisis and contingency plans.
• �On the job� �making management and employee training in this area a priority, and introducing certification of those on the frontline, such as hotel doormen.

The discussions highlighted the impact of technology on the security issue, which has added a new dimension to the range of concerns for hotels and given rise to the �cyber-criminal�.  In light of these, the Think-Tank recommended that the industry:

• Put in place an effective system for gathering data on tourism-related crimes 
• Improve encryption to make �cyber transactions� completely safe 
• Use the security factor as a marketing tool 
• Find a balance between technology security needs vs. privacy needs, such as data protection 
• Train staff to handle upgraded equipment, especially in meeting new data transmission requests 
• Regard the human factor as crucial in the fight against security breaches. 

Participants identified a need for more dedicated tourist police and called for alliances between the hospitality industry, tourism authorities and law enforcers, particularly in dealing with new types of criminal activity such as opportunistic crime, organised crime (now moving into the telecommunications arena), and white collar crime such as credit card fraud, forgery and booking fraud.

In a move to step up information on security-related issues, the IH&RA has launched a new monthly safety and security newsletter, to be faxed/e-mailed to members and sponsored by Think-Tank co-sponsors VingCard, the IH&RA�s official safety and security consultant.