Abstract
Bali is highly susceptible to earthquake-generated tsunamis. The island attracts millions of visitors each year, yet little is known about tourists’ tsunami information sources prior to and while visiting Indonesia, perceived causes of tsunamis, perceptions of tsunami evacuation windows, and evacuation intentions. We created inundation maps for high-tourist areas of Bali, conducted multiple-choice surveys of tourists in English, Japanese, and Chinese, conducted informal interviews of hotel and government officials, and assessed topography of high tourist areas for safe evacuation sites. 75.3% of tourists reported that they had not learned about tsunamis while traveling in Indonesia. 24.3% had not learned about tsunamis prior to traveling to Indonesia. 84.2% recognized that tsunami events could be triggered by earthquakes; however many incorrectly attributed tsunami causes to events such as storms (24.7%), climate change (22.0%), and lunar gravitational pull (12.8%). Although our numerical model showed a 15–20 min evacuation window after earth shaking, 42.1% of tourists believed they would have more than 30 min to evacuate. Most participants reported intentions to run uphill (85.5%), inland (42.8%) or up the stairs of a tall building (34.2%). There is increased opportunity for government and tourism providers to disseminate knowledge of tsunami natural warning signs and specific evacuation instructions at airports, hotels, beaches, and tourism websites. Due to Bali’s topography, these educational efforts may not be effective unless additional Temporary Evacuation Shelters are built in high tourist areas lacking hills. Additional disaster mitigation recommendations are provided.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bali Government Tourism Office (4 April 2018a) The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Bali by month. Available via http://www.disparda.baliprov.go.id/en/Statistics2. Cited April 16 2018
Bali Government Tourism Office (4 April 2018b) Accommodations in Bali by regency. Available via http://www.disparda.baliprov.go.id/en/Statistics2. Cited April 16 2018
Becken S, Mahon R, Rennie HG, Shakeela A (2014) The tourism disaster vulnerability framework: an application to tourism in small island destinations. Nat Hazards 71(1):955–972
Cox D (2001) The inappropriate tsunami icon. Science of Tsunami Hazards 19:87–92
Dash N, Gladwin H (2007) Evacuation decision making and behavioral responses: individual and household. Nat Hazards Rev 8(3):69–77
Drabek TE (1995a) Disaster responses within the tourist industry. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters 13(1):7–23
Drabek TE (1995b) Disaster planning and response by tourist business executives. Cornell Hotel Restaur Admin Q 36(3):86–96
Drabek TE (2000) Disaster evacuations: tourist-business managers rarely act as customers expect. Cornell Hotel Restaur Admin Q 41(4):48–57
Esteban M, Tsimopoulou V, Mikami T, Yun NY, Suppasri A, Shibayama T (2013) Recent tsunamis events and preparedness: development of tsunami awareness in Indonesia, Chile and Japan. Int J Disast Risk Re 5:84–97
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Columbia University & Center for International Earth Science Information Network (2015, January 12) GHS population grid, derived from GPW4, multitemporal (2015). Available via http://data.europa.eu/89h/jrc-ghsl-ghs_pop_gpw4_globe_r2015a. Cited April 17, 2018
Faulkner B (2001) Towards a framework for tourism disaster management. Tour Manag 22(2):135–147
Faulkner B, Vikulov S (2001) Katherine, washed out one day, back on track the next: a post-mortem of a tourism disaster. Tour Manag 22(4):331–344
Fraser S, Leonard G, Johnston DM (2013) Intended evacuation behaviour in a local earthquake and tsunami at Napier, New Zealand. GNS Science
Gaughan AE, Stevens FR, Linard C, Jia P, Tatem AJ (2013) High resolution population distribution maps for Southeast Asia in 2010 and 2015. PLoS One 8(2):e55882. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055882
Geofisika BMKD (2010) InaTEWS, Indonesia tsunami early warning system. Konsep dan Implementasi
Hall S, Pettersson J, Meservy W, Harris R, Agustinawati D, Olson J, McFarlane A (2017) Awareness of tsunami natural warning signs and intended evacuation behaviors in Java, Indonesia. Nat Hazards 89(1):473–496
Hamzah L, Puspito NT, Imamura F (2000) Tsunami catalog and zones in Indonesia. J Nat Disaster Sci 22(1):25–43
Harris R, Major J (2016) Waves of destruction in the east indies: the Wichmann catalogue of earthquakes and tsunami in the Indonesian region from 1538 to 1877. Geol Soc Lond, Spec Publ 441(1):9–46
Harris RA, Prasetyadi C (2002) Who’s next? Assessing vulnerability to geophysical hazards in densely populated regions of Indonesia. Bridges 2:14–17
Hystad PW, Keller PC (2008) Towards a destination tourism disaster management framework: long-term lessons from a forest fire disaster. Tour Manag 29(1):151–162
Johnston D, Becker J, Gregg C, Houghton B, Paton D, Leonard G, Garside R (2007) Developing warning and disaster response capacity in the tourism sector in coastal Washington, USA. Disaster Prev Manag 16(2):210–216
Kelman I, Spence R, Palmer J, Petal M, Saito K (2008) Tourists and disasters: lessons from the 26 December 2004 tsunamis. J Coast Conserv 12(3):105–113
Lay T, Kanamori H, Ammon CJ, Nettles M, Ward SN, Aster RC, … DeShon HR (2005) The great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004. Science 308(5725):1127–1133
Liu ZY, Harris RA (2013) Discovery of possible mega-thrust earthquake along the Seram trough from records of 1629 tsunami in eastern Indonesian region. Nat Hazards 72(3):1311–1328
Løvholt F, Setiadi NJ, Birkmann J, Harbitz CB, Bach C, Fernando N, … Nadim F (2014) Tsunami risk reduction–are we better prepared today than in 2004? Int J Disast Risk Re 10:127–142
Meheux K, Parker E (2006) Tourist sector perceptions of natural hazards in Vanuatu and the implications for a small island developing state. Tour Manag 27(1):69–85
Muck M (2008) Tsunami evacuation modeling: development and application of a spatial information system supporting tsunami evacuation planning in south-West Bali. Institut fur Geographie an der Universitat Regensburg, Regensburg
Murphy PE, Bayley R (1989) Tourism and disaster planning. Geographical Review, 36-46. Available via http://www.tsunamiready.com/resources/index.php
Niman MI (2010) The political tsunami: not all death and destruction is natural. Tsunami Communication:(Inter) personal/intercultural, Media, Technical, Ethical, Philanthropic, Development, and Personal Responses, pp 85–99
Nurhayati D (2017) Bali declared world’s top destination for 2017. Jakarta Post, April 24 2018. Available via http://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2017/04/24/bali-declared-worlds-top-destination-for-2017.html. Cited April 29 2018
Orchiston C (2013) Tourism business preparedness, resilience and disaster planning in a region of high seismic risk: the case of the southern Alps, New Zealand. Curr Issue Tour 16(5):477–494
Paris N (2017) Why Bali is the greatest destination on earth (so says Trip Advisor). The Telegraph. March 27. Available via http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/bali-named-best-tourist-destination/. Cited April 29 2018
Plautz J (2016, December 16) ‘Where is Bali?’ and more most-Googled travel questions in 2016. Travel + Leisure. Available via http://www.travelandleisure.com. Cited 23 April 2018
Post J, Wegscheider S, Mück M, Zosseder K, Kiefl R, Steinmetz T, Strunz G (2009) Assessment of human immediate response capability related to tsunami threats in Indonesia at a sub-national scale. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 9(4):1075–1086
Ritchie BW, Bentley G, Koruth T, Wang J (2011) Proactive crisis planning: lessons for the accommodation industry. Scand J Hosp Tour 11(3):367–386
Rittichainuwat BN (2013) Tourists’ and tourism suppliers’ perceptions toward crisis management on tsunami. Tour Manag 34:112–121
Rittichainuwat B, Nelson R, Rahmafitria F (2018) Applying the perceived probability of risk and bias toward optimism: implications for travel decisions in the face of natural disasters. Tour Manag 66:221–232
Seville E, Brunsdon D, Dantas A, Le Masurier J, Wilkinson S, Vargo J (2006) Building organisational resilience: a summary of key research findings. Resilient Organisations Programme, University of Canterbury, Christchurch
Shoaf KI, Rottman SJ (2000) The role of public health in disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Prehosp Disaster Med 15(4):18–20
Sideman IBP (2017) Interview August 1, Tanjung Benoa, Bali
Sorooshian S (2005) Meeting the challenges of natural hazards in the wake of the tsunami disaster. EOS Trans AGU 86(2):14. https://doi.org/10.1029/2005EO020005
Spahn H, Hoppe M, Vidiarina HD, Usdianto B (2010) Experience from three years of local capacity development for tsunami early warning in Indonesia: challenges, lessons and the way ahead. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 10(7):1411–1429
Strunz G, Post J, Zosseder K, Wegscheider S, Mück M, Riedlinger T, … Harjono H(2011) Tsunami risk assessment in Indonesia. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 11(1):67–82
Sullivan HT, Häkkinen MT (2006) Disaster preparedness for vulnerable populations: determining effective strategies for communicating risk, warning, and response. In: Third annual Magrann research conference at Rutgers University, vol 4, pp 21–04
Suppasri A, Goto K, Muhari A, Ranasinghe P, Riyaz M, Affan M, … Imamura F (2015) A decade after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: the progress in disaster preparedness and future challenges in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives. Pure Appl Geophys 172(12):3313–3341
Titov VV, Moore CW, Greenslade DJ, Pattiaratchi C, Badal R, Synolakis CE, Kanoglu U (2011) New tool for inundation modeling: community modeling interface for tsunamis (ComMIT). Pure Appl Geophys 168:2121–2131
Virapart C (2011) Tsunami prevention and preparedness practices for tourism sector and private entrepreneur in Khao Lak, Phang Nga Province of Thailand. J Coast Res:365–368
Wegscheider S, Post J, Zosseder K, Mück M, Strunz G, Riedlinger T, … Anwar HZ (2011) Generating tsunami risk knowledge at community level as a base for planning and implementation of risk reduction strategies. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 11(2):249–258
WorldPop (October, 2014) Asia [Dataset]. Available via www.worldpop.org. Cited April 17, 2018
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hall, S., Emmett, C., Cope, A. et al. Tsunami knowledge, information sources, and evacuation intentions among tourists in Bali, Indonesia. J Coast Conserv 23, 505–519 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-019-00679-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-019-00679-x