Tourism Industry

The money coming from the tourism industry is an important source of revenue for the improvement of a country’s economy because it brings an influx of funds from a source outside the country. Major industries in Peru and Micronesia will suffer significantly if there is a lack of money coming from foreign individuals. Tourism is a source of business for many people, and every cent earned is extremely important, especially for people in developing countries like Peru and Micronesia. It is therefore imperative that tourists are educated about tsunami awareness; ensuring their safety and continued visits into a given country.

We propose that the problem in educating tourists about tsunamis be tackled on two levels: before the tsunami and after the tsunami.

Before the Tsunami:

It is important to note that tourists cannot get the same education as the one given to residents. It must therefore be assumed that tourists have no prior knowledge of tsunamis. Hence, to educate them we are proposing the following:

First, tsunami warning signs (posters, road signs, etc.) should be placed all throughout areas that may be affected by tsunamis. These warning signs should contain what tourists and other citizens should do in the event that a tsunami is predicted to come. The signs should be in a language understandable by all and must be graphic. Tourists need to be made aware through a medium that is easy to decipher.

Second, pamphlets or brochures should be distributed to the tourists as they enter the airports or as they check into local hotels, motels or resorts. What should be emphasized in the documents are the following:

  1. Why it is important to recognize the existence and the probability of a tsunami happening
  2. Causes of tsunamis – so that tourists know when a tsunami may be forming even without being directly told.
  3. Statistics (from some previous tsunamis)
  4. Pictures of past tsunamis – to give the tourists a sense of the destruction they can cause. These pictures, however, should not be too graphic as to scare tourists away from the country.
  5. Contact details – websites to visit and important organizations to contact for more information.
  6. Terminology – so that tourists will understand what is going on when a tsunami warning is issued, and so they do not get confused as to what certain words on tsunami warning signs mean.
  7. Maps (where to run when a tsunami strikes). These must contain a specific evacuation route full of familiar landmarks.
  8. Practical things that can be done as individuals when a tsunami strikes.

Third, tourists should be made to have disaster supplies kits. When any disaster strikes, whether it is a tsunami or any other type of natural calamity, they should be able to grab this kit with all their most important valuables and run.

After the Tsunami:

A nation that has been hit by a tsunami or any other natural disaster will undoubtedly suffer the consequence of a lack of tourism. In the case of the December 2004 tsunami, the countries hit all saw a large reduction in tourism. (BBC News, 2005)

Efforts must be made to encourage tourists to return to tsunami-stricken countries. All it takes is a little effort from the country affected to make itself look safer and more attractive. All tourists are really waiting for is a confirmation that there are better tsunami safety measures. This does not necessarily mean that the country sets up early complex warning systems. Rather, this only means that the country makes new and safer building codes, and puts significant effort into the recuperation from the disaster. Example: after being hit by the December 2004 tsunami, Thailand immediately formed a tsunami restoration committee. This committee had the following goals:

  1. To develop measures for recovery and development of tsunami resources.
  2. To rezone and replan the tsunami stricken area
  3. To create of a Marine Watch Service Center
  4. To promote tsunami memorial products
  5. To establish a tsunami museum
  6. To enforce a “safer beach” design – requiring resorts to build farther from the shore. (Tourism Authority of Thailand)

The message is clear: tourists, who are in the country for only a short while, must be educated immediately and efficiently in order to prevent having a large number of tourist casualties; an occurrence that will definitely be a resounding blow to the tourism industry in both the long and short run.

Sources:

  1. BBC News. At a Glance: Tsunami Impact. [online] available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4154277.stm
  2. Tourism Authority of Thailand. New Strategy for the Recovery of Tourism after Tsunami.[online] available from http://www.world-tourism.org/tsunami/news/58.pdf

Secondary Sources:

  1. Cruey, Greg. Tourism in Asia Starts Back. April 5, 2005. [online] available from: http://goasia.about.com/od/thailand/a/tsunamirecovery.htm
  2. Kim, Susan. Tsunami Preparation Urged. [online] available from: http://www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=2671
  3. McDaris, John. Tsunami Visualizations. [online] available from: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/visualization/collections/tsunami.html
  4. Pacific Asia Travel Association. Tsunami Recovery: Travel Facts. [online] available from: http://www.pata.org/patasite/index.php?id=1137#2
  5. Rice, Alison. Post-tsunami Reconstruction: A Second Disaster? Tourism Concern: Fighting Exploitation in Tourism. October 2005-10-31
  6. Sritama, Suchat. Post Tsunami Tourism: Phuket Struggles to Reverse Slump. Business Section of the Nation. June 27, 2005.
  7. Tsunami Hazard Awareness. [online] available from: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami-hazard/tsunami_awareness.htm
  8. UN News Center. UN Agency Seeks to Boost Tourism to Tsunami Hit Nations. 31 October 2005. [online] available from: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=13505&Cr=tsunami&Cr1
  9. Wooldridge, Jane. Where Tsunami hit, Tourism feels a quake. The Miami Herald, June 19, 2005. [online]. Available from http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/travel/11931169.htm