Impact of Natural Disasters on the Tourism Industry

01/02/2014 03:02

Source: Tourismembassy

Impact of Natural Disasters on the Tourism Industry

Tourism has always been regarded as the impetus that brings in new business opportunities and economic development for a region. As an industry, there are several factors that have an impact on tourism both positively and negatively. One such aspect is the natural disasters and climate changes that occur in a place unexpectedly.

The impact of natural disasters has been more profound during the last few years and this can be attributed to the changing weather patterns around the world as well as the increased number of tourist spots. Today, more and more natural reserves and areas that were once inhabitable are being made accessible to attract tourists. Though this gives a boost to the local tourism, it also increases the impact of natural disasters. In fact, natural disasters cause many tourist destinations to lose their beauty, culture and economy for a temporary or extended period of time. The scale of the damage depends to a large extent on the fury of the natural disaster. For example, during the 2004 Tsunami, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India suffered heavily. Located in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of India, these islands were attracting large numbers of tourists due to its untouched natural beauty.

During the tsunami, the Car Nicobar islands were the worst hit. Many islands have been washed away and some like the Trinket have been split into two. This has completed disrupted tourism and today, there is nothing in these areas. Even after a decade, the remaining islands are still looking to salvage whatever is possible and there is no scope for the tourism industry anytime in the near future.

Other than the Nicobar Islands, there are other areas around the world that have been impacted by natural disasters, though to a lesser extent. Ironically, it is the developing countries that are more affected than the developed ones because the local economy relies heavily on tourism for the livelihood of its people. Also, this effect of natural disaster does not stop with the local economy; rather it spreads throughout the country's economy.

In this context, it is important for the tourism industry to take into account the possibility of natural disasters to ensure business sustainability. It is a good idea to avoid creating tourism sites in areas that are likely to be affected by natural disasters due to their geographic location. Typical examples of such places are the low-lying islands in the Pacific Ocean. When these islands are chosen, high-tides, tsunamis and other ocean disturbances have the potential to cause enormous amount of damage to the place as well as the local people and tourists. This is why native people avoid such islands and the tourism companies should also follow suit. Besides choosing tourism sites, it is important for tourism companies to have a disaster emergency plan in place. This will make it easy for the place as a whole to recover faster from the disaster and at the same time, it will mitigate the damage from the disaster.

On the positive side, natural disasters have increased tourism in some places. An example of such a place is the Cornish village of Boscastle. This place witnessed the worst flash floods in 2004. A record amount of 200 mm of rain fell in 24 hours and everything in the place were destroyed. Fortunately, there were no casualties as all the people were airlifted to safety. Within the next few years, the central government spent millions of dollars in reconstruction which brought in more jobs and businesses. Also, the images and videos of Boscastle were shown in the media and this brought publicity to the place, which in turn increased the number of tourists. In short, the flash floods proved to be a boon for Boscastle.

However, such instances are far and few. In most cases, natural disasters have a negative impact on the economy and on the people who depend on it for livelihood. For this reason, it is important to have a disaster plan in place when nature strikes with her fury. A better option is to adapt to the change because natural disasters are inevitable and uncontrollable. If a disaster causes physical changes, then it is best to go with the change, which means the tourism industry should be prepared to make changes to its business. An example of such a place is Montserrat, a Caribbean Island located south east of Puerto Rico. This place was once thriving as a tourist destination until the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted in 1995. The volcanic ash buried entire streets and tourism declined. However today, it offers volcano tourism where tourists can walk around the main city to explore the ruins. This has been immensely popular, therefore, tourism companies should learn to adapt to changes that occur as a result of natural disasters.

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