Holidays in the Sun

5 January 2005



Tourists Return to South Asia

The tourist destinations of Phuket Island and the Maldives archipelago took the blow of the tsunami head on. Thousands of people on vacation died when the waves hit. It may seem ghoulish to some, but the tourists need to return to these places as quickly as possible. Once the immediate aid needs are seen to, nothing will do more to put the local economies back on their feet than the tourist trade.

First and foremost, citizens of the rich nations need to remember that, with the exception of the Maldives, most of the countries that suffered damage are still open for business, and day-to-day life is unchanged once one gets away from the beaches. Bangkok, Thailand, is a long way from Phuket, and it sits on the other side of the Malay Peninsula, protected. Colombo, Sri Lanka, didn’t take a direct hit either. America remained open for business after the September 11, 2001 attacks, as India is today.

Second, tourists are walking demand. On vacation, even the least demanding visitor requires a place to sleep, some food, and will want to sit somewhere to examine a map. All of these are opportunities for the host population to earn money by supplying those needs. It may smack of colonialist behavior to those so inclined to see it as such, but there are worse things in life than being a waiter in a tourist restaurant – like being a refugee relying on food aid.

Third, as the world saw the devastation nature wrought thanks to holiday videos, the rebuilding process needs publicity. The news media will only play this story for a few more weeks, then plain old fatigue will knock this off the front page. Iraq’s elections beckon, Mr. Bush’s inauguration lies ahead, and there is every reason to believe that without staying focused on the recovery effort, the job won’t get done. Tourists will keep a grass-roots interest afloat. If a person goes on vacation to Sri Lanka, the entire neighborhood will ask how things look. That can only help keep the attention of the wealthy nations where is needs to be.

Finally, life does, really, go on. It surely sounds callous, but the truth is that today’s 10-year-old orphan will someday be 20, and while the pain is never going to vanish, living in the past is unhealthy and unproductive. While it is hard to say just what normal is, getting back to it as quickly as possible is the best hope for the survivors. The Sex Pistols may have described it as “a cheap holiday in other people’s misery,” but tourism can alleviate that misery. It is trade, not aid, that endures.



© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.

Home

Google
WWW Kensington Review







Amazon Honor System Click Here to Pay Learn More