Representatives from 15 Member States of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) took part in a three-day training course on crisis communications at the headquarters of the UNWTO.Themis Foundation in the Principality of Andorra. The training, organized by UNWTO and the UNWTO.Themis Foundation, aimed to build resilience at tourism destinations by creating capacity to develop and implement crisis communications strategies.

The Practicum on Crisis Communications included a revision of the different types of crisis that may affect tourism destinations – natural disasters, financial collapses, violent incidents or pandemics, among others – and recommended communications methodologies for each phase of a crisis – before, during and after.

The definition of protocols, the setting up of a crisis communications team, the development of communications materials and ready-to-use templates for each situation, and media relations were some of the topics included in the training.

The Practicum is an annual initiative that provides participants from Africa, the Americas and Europe with the opportunity to exchange views and experiences on various crisis situations and crisis communications cases.