World Tourism Body To Meet In Wake Of Tsunami

[george]

World Tourism Body to Meet in Wake of Tsunami

Jan. 5, 2005 — The World Tourism Organisation will stage a meeting in Phuket later this month to assess the impact on the regional industry of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, the specialised U.N. agency said Wednesday, while voicing hope that it would recover relatively rapidly.

The Madrid-based WTO's website said international and national organisations, tour operators, donors and other industry representatives would be invited to the meeting in the Thai resort at a date, which was not specified.

"Tourism has been severely affected in some areas of the countries involved," the WTO said after the huge waves stirred up by a massive earthquake struck resorts in half-a-dozen countries on Dec. 26.

The WTO was in active contact with the national tourism authorities involved in order to find the best ways and means to minimize the damage and to restore the industry as rapidly as possible, it said.

"Experience gained in previous emergency situations shows that tourism is capable of recovering often more vigorously and rapidly than initially expected."

"I am confident that this time it won't be different, in spite of the severity and geographical extent of the disaster," the statement quoted WTO Secretary Franceso Frangialli as saying.

"Tourism in the affected countries will overcome this disaster, just as it did during the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and 1998, as it did in the aftermath of 11 September 2001 and as it did facing the outbreak of SARS in 2003."

"It is necessary to understand that the affected areas represent only limited parts of the coastal areas of the involved countries," Augusto Huescar, WTO chief of market intelligence and promotion, was quoted as saying.

He stressed that the vast majority of world-famous tourist destinations in the affected countries remained totally untouched and were fully operational, and even in directly affected areas only part of the tourism infrastructure was damaged.

"For example, in the Maldives 64 out of 87 resorts are reported to be fully operational. Although the Thai beach destination of Phuket is severely hit, the impression that 'Phuket is gone' is wrong ... the majority of the hotels are unaffected.

"In Malaysia, the destinations of Langkawi and Penang have returned to normal and only some beachfront hotels have been affected."

The tourism industry, working together with authorities and local communities, is making every effort to restore tourism infrastructure and return to normal activity, the WTO said.

"While not trying to minimize the tragic loss of life and property in non-tourist areas — such as northern Sumatra, the east coasts of India and Sri Lanka, as well as the archipelagos of Andaman and Nicobar islands — WTO would like to emphasize that accurate information about the true extent of the damage can help reduce the impact to the regions tourism industry, saving jobs and badly needed revenues," it added.

Frangialli called upon national governments to draft travel advisories in a careful and responsible manner, taking into account that the disaster only affected pockets of a wide area and to withdraw warnings in timely manner, once the situation is improving.

"The international travel industry and individual travellers should carefully evaluate any change in their travel plans and itineraries," Frangialli stressed.

He warned that "the situation, if not correctly perceived, may turn into a double disaster for the countries involved, first the natural disaster and then the added disaster of misperception causing tourists to avoid those destinations."

The WTO also urged international donors to help reconstruct the tourism infrastructure in the affected areas ... which "offers a chance for the population of the coastal areas to recover their jobs and livelihoods and reincorporate themselves into normal life."

The agency said it had been encouraged by offers of cooperation from several intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations Development Program, as well as national organizations, "all of which want to assist the tourism sector in affected areas."

"These organizations, donors, tour operators and other representatives of source markets and destinations will be invited to join WTO for a special meeting, to take place at the end of January in Phuket, Thailand, to assess the needs of the tourism industry in the affected area."

The findings "will be submitted to and discussed at an extraordinary session of the WTO Executive Council the following day, which will decide on specific actions to undertake," it added.

--AFP 2005-01-05

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

How can I get a job doing this ? Swanning off to 'Conferences' eating nice cakes and staying at a 5 * hotel for free.

"Ooh, been a disaster. Have to go on a Conference."

"How lovely dear. In Khao Lak, Darfur, Aceh?"

"Certainly not, in Phuket. Staying in the Banyan Tree."

"Divine Spa there. Can wives come too? You can expense my body scrub to the Thai taxpayer"

"No sorry, i'll be busy ....um....counselling .......distressed ladyboys. Sorry, got to go, Want to get to the First Class lounge before all the canapes run out."