Philippines tourism to suffer as Super Typhoon Haiyan hits The picturesque island beach of Boracay, one of the Philippines' most popular tourist destinations. IT'S a conundrum many of us have faced when a long-planned holiday approaches and things aren't looking quite as rosy as they did when you first picked up the resort brochure - to cancel or not to cancel? As of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded slammed into the Philippines, the tourist resorts of Boracay and Bohol were among the areas bunkering down to brace for the hit. Latest typhoon Haiyan updates Australians with holiday bookings to the region have been warned to contact their tour operators for latest updates. The official Australian Government advisory warned that in some areas, adequate shelter from a severe typhoon may not be available to all who may choose to stay. Travellers have been warned to carry their passports at all times or secure them in a safe, waterproof location, and to contact friends and family in Australia with welfare updates. Intrepid Travel, one of the Australian tour operators in the region, whose next tour is due to run from November 30, said the company was monitoring the situation. Travellers in the region or intending to visit in the coming days should be prepared to alter their trip plans in the wake of the storm, an Intrepid spokeswoman said. "Some may think about continuing with their travel plans but often this is not possible or safe due to road closures, blackouts and debris," she said. So think about making plans to come home. Latest Smartraveller warnings When it comes those with future bookings to travel to the region, while many people will pull the plug on their trip following a natural disaster, a smaller proportion of holiday-makers will get on the plane regardless. And identifying those resilient travellers could be the key to helping the tourism industry get by during the bad times, according to University of Queensland School of Tourism research director Professor Sara Dolnicar. Prof Dolnicar and University of Wollongong Associate Professor Ulrike Gretzel are undertaking a study to work out a way of earmarking these people so the industry can groom them before disaster strikes, and use them to help recover quicker from unforeseen events. Over the past decade tourism has faced many setbacks, including the global financial crisis and SARS. There have been earthquakes in New Zealand, floods in Australia and tsunamis in Asia. "These things happen all the time," Prof Dolnicar says. The most efforts by the tourism industry to date were about how to fix it once the disaster happens. The strategy we're proposing is to be very proactive - groom that segment on the side. If we can invest in these individuals well in advance of these disasters that would be a really good way to try to minimise the risk when disaster hits. But Prof Dolnicar says it's not as simple as drawing up a list of resilient characteristics and ticking each box. "We need to understand what motivates them to go on holiday, what they consider to be a risk and just how risk averse they are," she says. A previous study Prof Dolnicar carried out found 10 per cent of people view travel as essential to their well-being. "We thought maybe if it's so important to people perhaps there's something we call a resilient tourist who's less likely to cancel a trip if there's a natural disaster, terrorist attack or a family issue," she says. Travel is very important to them and they don't like changing their plans. Ten per cent sounds very little but if you think of the total number it's a big segment. If you have a tourist destination that's doing well and suddenly there's a huge flood or a tsunami and immediately people stop coming and the tourism industry is in danger. Prof Dolnicar said resilient tourists are generally young, well educated and have specific patterns when researching their holiday. "They are heavy users of social media and seek advice from people they don't know," she says. With staff writers