Territorial Approach to Crisis Management: The Case of Tourist Destinations Facing the Challenges of Energy and Climate Crises in France and Switzerland

Tourism plays a crucial socio-economic role in many regions. However, disruptions such as crises or major incidents, including climate change related hazards, can have a significant impact on its development, leading to a decrease or even a halt in destination activities. The impacts of a crisis extend beyond immediate suffering, damage, and business losses, often leading to profound and lasting consequences. These events compel destinations to reevaluate their operations, networks, and foster the development of new opportunities, as well as social and environmental objectives. The current state of most existing research has focused on the events that lead to a crisis and cause a disruption of the so-called "normal" state, according to a linear logic. Breaking this traditional pattern of thought offers potential for research by integrating concepts and frameworks from other disciplines such as operational research, service science, regional and territorial economics. Given the fragmented nature of the tourism industry and the socio-politico context of the destination, a dynamic and holistic approach to crisis management is necessary. Focusing on two alpine destinations in Switzerland and one in the French Pyrenees, this exploratory research examines the role of crises as catalysts for innovation and development in those destinations, ultimately enhancing their resilience. From a milieu perspective, the territorial dimension plays a key role by providing explanatory factors in the management of climate and energy crises. The innovative milieu approach makes it possible to identify the factors that determine the success of developing regions and the obstacles encountered by others. It incorporates three interconnected dimensions: technological (know-how and innovation), organisational (coordination and interactions) and territorial (proximity and distance). In the era of globalisation and polycrises, where the capacities of populations to manage their own resources are eroding, this innovative perspective emphasizes the need to locally develop adapted knowledge to anticipate future crises and build more resilient tourism systems. The concept of "territoriality" in crisis management introduces a major strategic change.