Investigating the Attitude of Iranian Red Crescent Society towards Rescue and Relief of Tourists; A Case Study: Red Crescent Society of Kermanshah Province, Iran

Since the 2000s, tourism has become the most widespread activity on a global scale. Tourism, with its features, is always prone to any accident at a micro or a critical level, and this requires the action of the rescuers to reduce the disasters or to save the injured during their journey. The Red Crescent Society, as the largest non-governmental organization, carries out activities in the areas of rescue and relief, medicine and rehabilitation, and in other sectors. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitude of Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in rescue and relief of tourists from various accidents and disasters.

 In this descriptive-analytical survey, the research community consisted of the members of Red Crescent Society in Kermanshah Province, Iran, including 135 instructors, relief workers, rescuers, rapid responses, and staffs. The sampling was performed using simple random sampling method. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, which validity was evaluated by the experts of the Red Crescent Society, social sciences, and geography, and the reliability was calculated as 0.92 using Cronbach's alpha. Data analysis was done using Spearman correlation and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

 The attitude of the statistical society towards the subject was evaluated as good (mean: 1.78). Their attitude towards the overall performance of the Red Crescent Society in travel management was very good (mean: 1.95). Respectively, the equipment and facilities of the organization (mean: 2.17), the practical skills and operational capabilities of the forces (mean: 2.13), and the establishment of fixed and mobile relief bases at the provincial level (mean: 2.03) played greater role based on the attitude of study participants (P<0.01 for all).

 The attitude of the Red Crescent Society of Kermanshah Province was considered good and acceptable for rescuing tourists and travelers. To achieve more favorable performance, especially in rescue and relief, more studies are needed on the strengths and weaknesses.