Psychological resilience, organizational resilience and life satisfaction in tourism firms: insights from the Canterbury earthquakes

From a socio-ecological systems perspective, resilience is dynamic, multi-dimensional and multi-scale. This study provides evidence of the relationship between different types of resilience (psychological, employee and organizational resilience) affecting the recovery of tourism organizations after the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010/2011. A survey of tourism business owners and employees (managers) was undertaken five years after the February 2011 earthquakes. Results show significant and positive relationships between psychological and employee resilience. Further, employee resilience contributes to both life satisfaction of tourism business operators and organizational resilience. Life satisfaction of business owners and managers contributes to organizational resilience. Implications for the well-being of tourism business owners and managers, and ways of strengthening both psychological and organizational resilience are suggested.