Posted on 12/29/2004 1:59:04 PM PST by flitton
Only three days after the Indian Ocean tsunami swept over almost all the islands and atolls of the Maldives, tourists are once again willing to travel to the sparsely-populated archipelago, according to travel agencies and Maldives officials.
That is a measure of the resilience of tourism in the face of unprecedented devastation and human tragedy. For the Maldives government, it is a relief as it seeks to fund rescue efforts with hard currency from tourism. For tour operators, it also helps explain why they are putting a brave face on the crisis.
On Wednesday, Hassan Sobir, the Maldives high commissioner in London, called a news conference to encourage tourists to return.
He was at a loss to explain how the low-lying islands withstood the tsunami that swept through south-east Asia after Sunday's earthquake with relatively few fatalities only 65 people had been confirmed dead in a country with a population of 300,000. But he said tourism flights would resume from the UK in a few days. Kuoni, the Swiss tour operator, said some British holidaymakers planned to fly to the Maldives this weekend, even though it had offered them refunds.
“It's quite amazing to me. It's a near miracle for the Maldives,” said Sue Biggs, Kuoni's UK managing director. She said next week Kuoni might resume flying clients to coastal regions of Sri Lanka, where luxury hotels withstood the wave better than less sturdy structures.
She said tourists were getting back to life as usual surprisingly quickly, even in crisis-hit areas such as the Thai resort of Phuket. According to one of her managers there, once again golf was being played at the Sheraton Hotel in Phuket.
Ms Biggs said the precedents from recent crises such as the Bali bombings, severe acute respiratory syndrome and the September 11 terrorist attacks suggested recovery might be fairly quick, though she was sensitive to the risk that tourists would demand water in swimming pools for example and other services that might be crucial for local people. “If I look back to 9/11 and the Bali bombings, recovery takes anything from one to three months,” Ms Biggs said.
A little too macabre for me.
From all the pictures I've seen of the Maldives, I'm not surprised that people still want to go there.
The warm temps, the peacefulness, the stunning blue water...
I wish it were closer for American tourists!
Tahiti dude!
I think it's great. One of the best things to help these sticken countries is to support their economies, which rely greatly on tourism. There is nothing macabre about that!
I suppose the only worry will be the strain on local water supply etc. but if tourists keep going they bring with them money and publicity which will be important in the longer term.
If I did play golf, (and I don't) I couldn't enjoy doing so with such suffering all around me. I'd either pitch in to help, or -- if I couldn't stand it -- leave.
Those tourists strike me as some of the most selfish and worthless people on this earth!
Good grief, how on earth could you play golf while the people are going through such troubles? I'd be out there trying to help.
Nero fiddled.
Like minds...
I expect that the golf course doesn't actually have bodies on it. We don't know whether these people have offered to help, after all now that trained rescuers are on the scene perhaps they don't want well meaning amateurs getting
in the way. Maybe they are better of waiting out of the way contributing foreign currency to the local economy.
If they are adults and fit and healthy they will be at the back of the queue for flights.
Or maybe they are selfish and heartless who knows.
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