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Asia Pacific
Tsunami-hit nations face “formidable challenge”
More than a quarter of people are being deterred from visiting Asian countries in the wake of the tsunami.
Global research conducted by Visa Asia Pacific for the World Tourism Organization found that 30% said the tsunami’s aftermath is putting them off travelling to affected countries.
A majority of 65% said the tsunami had no impact on their travel plans to the region.
And about a fifth said the tsunami had made it more likely for them to visit affected countries, especially those from China (20%), the UK (19%), Canada (18%) and Sweden (18%).
The WTO said this reflected altruistic sentiments and a show of support for local communities.
“They expressed strong believe that taking a holiday in the affected countries is an excellent way to help the communities and economies recover from the disaster,” the report said.
“However, it is also tempered by to some extent by feelings that they found it inappropriate to holiday while the local people are having a tough time.”
According to the research findings released during the ITB trade show in Berlin, the majority of travellers planning to visit Asia want more information about the affected areas, particularly about health and sanitation, progess of the clean-up operation and the impact on infrastructure and tourist facilities.
James Murray, Visa Asia Pacific excutive vice-president Southeast Asia, said there had been a significant drop in international travel to destinations such as Phuket in Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, severely damaging the livelihood of many local communities dependent on tourism revenues.
He added: “Given the scale of the tsunami and the extensive media coverage of its aftermath, international travellers are understandably concerned about the state of destinations in Asia.
“Tourism industries and authorities across South and Southeast Asia are therefore faced not only with the task of reconstruction but also the formidable challenge of enhancing tourist confidence around the world regarding the affected destinations.”
He said he hoped the research findings would help tsunami-affected countries to address the most salient issues and concerns amongst global travellers, restore tourist confidence and stimulate travel back to their countries more effectively.
The research was conducted across 10 source markets across the world last month by AC Nielsen.
Report by Phil Davies
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