Failure to utilise nonstructural measures
Lagos State government has invested in structural and nonstructural measures to tackle flood risks. These include a flood awareness campaign, the establishment of an emergency control centre by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), drainage construction and the provision of weather warnings by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), among other things (Figure 12.3) (Adelekan, 2016). Yet, no literature indicated that SMTEs worked closely with any of these agencies or used early weather warnings to scale up flood preparedness. The common disaster management planning practices put in place to minimise the adverse effects of floods include drain construction in front of accommodations, the clearing of drainage systems, the use of sandbags and the building of high walls to prevent floodwater from entering accommodation establishments, among other things (Adelekan, 2010, 2016). While such preparations are necessary, plugging into nonstructural measures like early weather warnings is essential to protect, and minimise damages to, fixed assets, infrastructures and human lives.
SMTEs stand to benefit from the utilisation of early weather warnings. Firstly, confidence would be boosted if risk messages were inserted on the websites of accommodation enterprises explaining what prospective tourists could expect in the event of heavy rainfall that could result in flash flooding, and what measures are in place to ensure the safety of guests. Implementing this strategy is crucial at a time when guests use hashtags in online ratings to express their experiences at accommodation establishments. Secondly, the rainy season may be the time for SMTEs to reduce costs on online advertising or to re-strategise their advertising based on the seasonal weather outlook for Lagos. Scott, Lemieux and Malone (2011), for example, document that a tourism brochure for Brittany in France informs tourists that prejudice and misconceptions have depicted Brittany as a region notorious for rain when just breathing its unique, rich iodine sea air is, in fact, an opportunity to enjoy nature’s free health properties.
It is noteworthy to mention that no literature documented the presence of a laid-down protocol that provides tourists with stepwise actions to be taken in the event of a flood or any other disaster. A laid-down protocol is necessary, as tourists from different geographical regions may under- or overestimate the risks associated with floods (Law, 2006). Also, a study conducted in the Asia-Pacific region suggests that retreat organisers, tour operators and travel agents from Europe request “risk management information and audit hotel risk management” (UNISDR, 2015: 1). This suggests that any SMTE that develops standardised protocols that meet the needs of tourists is likely to have a competitive advantage over its contemporaries. A plausible reason why no SMTEs have laid-down
Figure 9.3 Flood risk management by public agents in Lagos. Source: Adelekan, 2016.
protocol in place is the absence of a certification scheme for tourism establishments in Nigeria that shows compliance with the laid-down standards for extreme weather preparedness.
Lack of cohesion among tourist accommodation operators
Another limitation is the lack of a structure (regional monthly meetings) or platform (online) that brings SMTEs together. With a structure that brings SMTEs together, it will be much easier for agencies like the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to disseminate vital information that will facilitate flood preparedness. The lack of communication, as Hystada and Keller (2006) argue, was one of the reasons why some small tourist businesses in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, were affected adversely by a forest fire disaster, despite the well-planned and well-practiced emergency response plan put in place by the provincial government. To concretise the need for a structure or platform that brings SMTEs together, key industry leaders in the Asia-Pacific region suggest that hotels working with other hotels in a region is crucial for building adaptive capacity and promoting early adoption of laid-down procedures (UNISDR, 2015). Thus, mediums that bring SMTEs in Lagos together can be used, among other issues
Factors influencing tourism accommodations 133 relating to tourism, to share experiences and concerns, including tips on adapting to flooding, especially from those with an accommodation that has been affected in the past. As Southon and Van der Merwe (2018) argue, learning from previous flood events is useful to enhance the knowledge of tourist accommodation managers, which is necessary to build resilience to future flood events.
