The Millennium Bug could throw the global tourism system into chaos on 1 January 2000 unless the entire industry embarks on a concerted effort to avoid problems that could be caused by the Bug, according to two Charles Sturt University researchers.

“To date, most small- to medium-sized operators seem unaware of the so-called Millennium Bug, or Y2K, yet they are the ones most likely to be affected,” says Ilena Young, a tourism management lecturer and researcher with the University’s School of Business.

“In addition, many major tourism companies, as well as governments world-wide, are not doing enough to help these operators rectify the problem.”

The Millennium Bug is a computer problem that causes errors in dates. When the year 2000 comes around in computers which have not been modified, it will appear as 00 to these computers which could read the date as 1900 and not 2000.

“So, on 1 January 2000, global travel, including airlines and travel agents, could be disrupted for hours, days, even months. The result could be a significant shake-out in businesses and a permanent change in the competitive attractiveness of many destinations,” said Dr Bob McKercher, a senior lecturer in tourism management with CSU.

The researchers are concerned that, regardless of whether individual businesses address the problem, if any one member of the network ignores the Y2K problem, the entire global network could be affected.

“Tourism is probably the most networked system in the world, where small, medium and large companies in over 200 countries are linked through many different computer systems and programs. This complexity heightens the risk of problems from the Bug,” Dr McKercher said.

“The tourism industry is sensitive to risk. If consumers perceive that it is dangerous to fly to or visit a destination that has not done something about the Millennium Bug, they may stop travelling there, even if the real risk is minimal. So even if Australia or USA increase general awareness of the Bug, some experts are predicting that the Bug could have disastrous effects on the global economy, particularly for developing countries whose economies rely heavily on tourism.”

According to Ms Young, the tourism industry must make a coordinated national and international effort to impress the importance of the Millennium Bug on the many different sized enterprises that form the backbone of tourism in Australia and overseas.