The Hindu Business Line : Action plan for tourism revival in tsunami-hit nations

A SPECIAL session of the World Tourism Organisation's Executive Council has crafted a plan to help the tourism industries of countries affected by the December 26 tsunami.

Tourism industry stakeholders from across the world, who met in Phuket, Thailand on February 1, drew up the `Phuket Action Plan' that focuses on saving jobs in the sector, reviving small tourism-related businesses and recovering tourist inflows into the affected regions of Asia. Destinations in four countries - Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand and Indonesia - have been identified for assistance under this plan.

The main goal of the plan is to hasten the recovery of the tourism sector in the tsunami-affected regions by restoring traveller confidence and maximising the use of existing tourism infrastructure in these destinations.

Other objectives include creating systems that strengthen the sustainability of the affected destinations and working with the United Nations system on disaster reduction measures in the region.

Additionally, the `Phuket Action Plan' also looks at methods to help small businesses and employees in the tourism sector survive the recovery period.

The recovery plan is divided into five operational areas - marketing communications, community relief, professional training, sustainable redevelopment and risk management. While some of the strategies outlined in the proposal apply to all the affected tourism destinations, others are country-specific. Some of the suggestions outlined include the launch of a global advertising campaign, promotional schemes such as raffles or contests, free participation in tourism fairs for tsunami-affected destinations and so on.

Meanwhile, the World Tourism Organisation in its publication - World Tourism Barometer - has stated that international tourist arrivals in 2004 grew 10 per cent over 2003. Last year, the number of international tourist arrivals touched a record high of 760 million, the publication said.

All regions experienced growth in tourist arrivals, but Asia-Pacific led with 29 per cent, followed by West Asia with 21 per cent and the Americas with 10 per cent

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Action plan for tourism revival in tsunami-hit nations