The problems of restoring tourist infrastructure in the areas most affected by the disaster were discussed, as Bloomberg reports, at a meeting of participants of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), which was held in Thailand. It was in this country that the largest number of foreign tourists died – 2,000 people.
“Many hotels in Indonesia, on the islands of Java and Bali, usually completely full at this time of year, are now empty, although they are thousands of kilometers from the disaster zone,” said WTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli. In his opinion, sometimes completely unfounded fear of the disaster brings multi-million losses to the tourism industry in the region.
If in Indonesia, which suffered more than other countries from the tsunami and earthquake, tourism is not the leading sector of the economy, then in Thailand it brings 6% of total budget revenues. Compared with last month, the number of people wishing to visit this country fell by 17%, although winter is precisely the peak of the tourist season. Many are scared off by possible epidemics, which, according to doctors, could be caused by the decomposition of unburied bodies.
In the Maldives, where tourism is the third most profitable budget item, 82 people died as a result of the tsunami. Representatives of this country stated at the meeting that in the most convenient season for tourism, it is necessary to make every effort to return foreign guests to the resorts.
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