Abstract

HOWIE, Luke. The Dilemma Around the Security Guards in Tourism and Hospitality: From Labour Precarity to Global Terror. Estud. perspect. tur. [online]. 2018, vol.27, n.4, pp.957-967. ISSN 1851-1732.

Organisations operating in the tourism industry are high priority targets for terrorists. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks tourism destinations, hotels and modes of public transportation have regularly been targeted by terrorists seeking to convey their violent message. As such, leaders and managers in the tourism industry carefully plan their security and counter-terrorism responses, often involving the hiring of security guards. It is here that I believe a significant gap in counter-terrorism preparedness exists. The thesis here is that protecting tourism destinations is only possible if consideration is given to the effectiveness of security guards and understanding that their well-being will impact upon their ability to deliver security. On 9/11, 42 security guards died whilst helping save the lives ofthousands. They performed their jobs admirably, despite being low-paid, underappreciated workers. In this paper I explore the social role of security guards in the context of tourism security.

Keywords : Security guards; Terrorism; First responders; Preparedness.