ABTA chief executive Ian Reynolds has expressed his concern that holidaymakers will become confused about the effects of the tsunami and abandon Sri Lanka and Thailand in 2005.
Reynolds said the blanket coverage in the media could lead some people to think all areas were off-limits and the association needed to educate people about where they could go.
“On television, you see pictures of Indonesia, while people are talking about Thailand,” he said.
“I think there’s a real danger that people see pictures of, for example, Banda Aceh, which has been devastated, and think it is Thailand.
“People may decide they will give money to help but would rather go on holiday somewhere else.
“We have to give people the facts and profile holidaymakers who have been back to affected areas.”
Reynolds predicted the tourism industry would recover in Thailand more quickly than in the Maldives or Sri Lanka. “Thailand is a very self sufficient country and there are so many trips you can do from Bangkok, away from the coast,” he said.
“But I would expect Sri Lanka and the Maldives would drop back to 2003 levels at best,” he said.
In 2004, 120,000 Brits visited the Maldives, a rise of 24 per cent on the previous year; 620,000 visited Thailand, up 7 per cent; and 100,000 travelled to Sri Lanka, up 20 per cent.
