PHUKET, Thailand (1 Feb 2005) -- For years, the crystalline waters off Thailand's Phuket island offered Peter Vagtborg, a veteran snorkeler and scuba diver, glimpses of a spectacular underwater world. But since the Dec. 26 tsunami that swept hundreds of the island's tourists and residents to their deaths, the 53-year-old engineer from Copenhagen, Denmark, has been afraid to revisit the ocean depths. "I can never go swimming at the beach as I did before," said Vagtborg, who returned to the island weeks after the disaster in the latest of many visits since 1999. "A lot of people have died... Where are they? Where? Somewhere in the ocean, maybe. You think about this _ at the same time have a holiday?" "I don't think I can do this," he added. The reluctance of people like Vagtborg to vacation at southern Asia's beach resorts, still reeling from death and destruction, has left governments and the tourism industry grappling with the difficult task of easing fears and restoring the luster of destinations that now seem tarnished by tragedy. Vagtborg said he came back only to check on friends whose restaurant was gutted by the surging waves, but planned to make his visit brief because of his unease about possibly bumping into floating corpses _ a worry officials say is unfounded after extensive clean-up efforts. Some travelers may instinctively feel they should avoid sites where so many died, though residents are suffering economically from the lack of tourists. Others, particularly northern Asians, fear ghosts and have canceled trips for lunar new year celebrations next month. But tourism officials and representatives say information campaigns assuring visitors of their safety and explaining the limited scope of damage at many resorts will help fuel a comeback similar to those seen after past crises such as SARS in 2003, when the industry recovered within just five months. Peter de Jong, head of the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association, said it is important to be honest with potential clients about the situation on the ground _ then let them decide whether they should return. "If you choose not to, all right, but please be informed that there is more to the picture than you saw in the last days of December and the first days of January," he said. Some countries are expected to win back travelers more quickly than others. Thailand, for instance, experienced limited damage to infrastructure and resorts and authorities acted quickly to rebuild, said de Jong, also noting the long-term loyalty of its visitors. But Sri Lanka, where the tsunami damage was far more extensive, has "to do a lot more work _ it's just a tougher road back," he said. It could take months to rebuild resorts and roads along the country's southern and eastern coasts. In the meantime, Sri Lanka will concentrate on promoting its culture and heritage, said Prathap Ramanujam, secretary of the tourism ministry. The small niche of European divers who frequent the Maldives are likely to come back relatively quickly, de Jong said. Journalists from Germany, Russia, China and Britain have been invited to the Indian Ocean archipelago so they can spread the word that "the majority of the tourist resorts are in operation," said Tourism Minister Mustafa Lutfi. | | In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster that killed at least 260,000 people, tourism officials are stuggling to market death and destruction as 'paradise' Tourism officials say foreign travelers have little reason to avoid resorts in Indonesia, the country hardest hit by the tsunami, as most resort areas were unscathed. The island of Bali, the target of terrorist bombings in 2002, has maintained strong tourist arrivals despite the disaster. "I personally believe that consumers have short memories and am reminded that if a year ago you would have talked about Bali, people still would have felt that was a no-go zone," said de Jong. "And now it's getting extra business" at the expense of southern Asia. The giant waves that battered coastlines around the Indian Ocean signaled the worst-ever catastrophe for the global tourism market, with many travelers and tourism workers killed and facilities destroyed, the U.N. World Tourism Organization chief Francesco Frangialli said at emergency talks in Phuket this week. The disaster claimed the lives of more than 155,000 people in 11 nations in Asia and Africa. But while tourist arrivals and hotel occupancy rates have plunged in the weeks since the disaster, the global industry is expected to suffer only a slight setback and continue to surge ahead this year. International arrivals reached 760 million in 2004, a 10 percent jump over the previous year, according to the WTO. "The nature of a natural disaster is different from terrorism or from health," de Jong said. "There's not the same anger. It's mother nature ... I think people appreciate the uniqueness of this." "The second half of this year, we'll be back on our feet," he said. SOURCE - eNet |
