Cyber Vulnerabilities and the Tourism Industry: Developing a Conceptual Framework

In the post 9/11 era tourism remains a growing global industry worth an estimated $2bn/day. In response to the physical threat of terrorism, governments and industry have been very active in implementing changes. However, it is noticeable as the industry becomes increasingly reliant on the Internet and other information technologies how little discussion there has been of the potential threats from cyber vulnerabilities. As research in the e-security and e-forensics domains highlights there has been a marked increase in the sophistication and targeting of cyber attacks that has the potential to threaten individual firms, destination brands or the industry as a whole. In an effort to explore these potential vulnerabilities, examine their impacts and consider meaningful responses, this research-in-progress paper outlines a developing conceptual framework for investigating these issues in a coherent manner. This framework forms the basis for ongoing research into cyber vulnerabilities in the Tasmanian tourist industr