Crisis Preparedness Strategies and Tourism Resilience: Does Organisation Size Matter?
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Date
2025-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management
Abstract
Global crises, including pandemics, political instability, and climate-related
disasters, have exposed critical vulnerabilities in the tourism sector. The
increasing frequency and intensity of these crises raise critical questions about
the preparedness of tourism organisations. Crisis preparedness is paramount in
crisis management as it requires a well-developed crisis management plan that is
critical in helping tourism organisations to react effectively during crises. This
study investigates the relationship between crisis preparedness strategies and
organisational resilience among tourism enterprises in Nairobi City County,
Kenya, with particular attention to the moderating effect of organisational size.
Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, data were collected from 284 licensed
tourism organisations spanning micro, small, medium, and large enterprises.
Quantitative analysis employing multiple linear regression revealed a strong
positive association between crisis preparedness, measured through contingency
planning and emergency capacity building, and organisational resilience (R² =
0.671, p < 0.001). Notably, while larger organisations benefited from structured
systems and resource endowments, smaller enterprises demonstrated resilience
through informal coping mechanisms and agility, although they often lacked
formal preparedness frameworks. Importantly, the interaction effect of
organisational size was non-significant, suggesting that the efficacy of
preparedness strategies is universally beneficial across firm sizes. The findings
have critical policy implications for Kenya’s broader tourism resilience agenda.
There is a clear need for differentiated policy approaches that recognise the
varying capacities of small and large enterprises. The findings demonstrate the
need for a shift from reactive crisis responses to proactive resilience planning,
which must be institutionalised within organisational structures and supported
through external partnerships.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Citation
Mesa, J. M., Kariuki, A. C. & Kiria, S. M. (2025). Crisis Preparedness Strategies and Tourism Resilience: Does Organisation Size Matter?. African Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 4(1), 489-500. https://doi.org/10.37284/ajthm.4.1.3794.