INDIAN OCEAN. A year that seemed certain to go down in our industry as synonymous with recovery and optimism has ended in tragedy on an almost incomprehensible scale.
The unprecedented flow of donations around the world underlines how the horror has shocked and gripped us all. Below we publish details of one fund specifically related to the travel retail industry that we urge you to support; plus a regional update on the latest news relating to the travel and tourism sector.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday said the scale of the Indian Ocean disaster demands an unprecedented world response. That is already coming but long-term commitment is required he insisted. To date, the World Bank, individual countries and citizens have pledged US$500m in aid.
The death toll from Sunday’s disaster is rising fast as relief workers reach more remote areas. Around 125,000 people are now confirmed dead and thousands more unaccounted for after the undersea earthquake off Sumatra, Indonesia caused the terrible Tsunami that sent walls of water smashing into coastlines as far away as Somalia, East Africa.
The World Health Organization says as many as five million people are at risk, with little water, food or shelter.
Reminder – the duty free industry can help
In Sri Lanka, one of the worst-affected countries with over 27,000 confirmed dead and thousands more missing, leading duty free retailer Alpha Orient Lanka and King Power Traveler and Centaur Travel Retail President Rakhita Jayawardena have announced details of a relief fund.
Alpha Orient Lanka Managing Director Paul Topping said this fund will focus specifically on the medium to long-term requirements of one sea-front community. The fund will be co-ordinated by Rakhita Jayawardena and Paul Topping and they, with their local teams, will ensure that every dollar gets to the needy people. Within hours of the fund launch, it had raised US$20,000. Jayawardena told The Moodie Report: “Every single donation could make a difference in terms of saving a life or restoring a livelihood. US$20,000 is a lot of money here in Sri Lanka, so the duty free industry can make a difference.”
Comment: This terrible disaster has already caused unimaginable loss, pain and suffering. Let us all work to minimise further suffering and to aid reconstruction of people’s lives. Sometimes the sheer scale of a situation such as this can render us emotionally impotent, with the feeling that none of us can actually make a difference. With the Alpha Sri Lanka Tsunami Relief Fund the duty free industry – and each individual within it – can.
Paul Topping and Rakhita Jayawardena are guaranteeing complete transparency of the fund’s usage. The Moodie Report will work closely with the fund to bring you news and pictures of how the money is being put to work. There will, rightly, be other calls on your donations from other areas and they should be supported too. But for now, this industry has a focus. Let’s all support it.
Contacts:
Paul Topping: ptopping@alpha-group.com; telephone number: 94-777-531801 [UPDATED NUMBER]
Rakhita Jayawardena: rakhita@kingpowertraveler.com; telephone number: 94-777-488804
Hiranjan Aloysius: haloysius@alpha-group.com
A bank account for the acceptance of donations for this humanitarian relief programme for the Tsunami victims is now operative. Anyone wishing to transfer money can make a telegraphic transfer to the following account.
Alpha Sri Lanka Tsunami Relief Fund
A/c No: 002-0785788
Hatton National Bank Limited
City Office
No. 16 Janadhipathi Mawatha
Colombo 1
Sri Lanka
SWIFT CODE: HBLILKLX
TRAVEL NEWS UPDATE
The Agence France-Presse reported that thousands of Japanese, South Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese tourists had cancelled their New Year’s holidays in Southeast and western Asia after the disaster. The agency said that travel bureaus in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong were offering other alternatives to travellers, but many had just given up on their holiday plans.
“Most of them (tourists) preferred to ask for a refund as they are scared and are not ready to travel yet because of the disasters,” Chan Mok-seng, Executive Director at Hong Kong’s Morning Star Travel Service, was quoted as saying.
The Taipei Association of Travel Agents said that Taiwanese who were going ahead with their holidays opted for packages to Japan, South Korea, and China.
BALI, INDONESIA: Indonesia, so appallingly affected by the Tsunami with at least 80,000 confirmed dead, is seeing a big upswing in tourism bookings to Bali as tourists switch their travel plans from affected areas elsewhere in Asia.
State Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said yesterday that the country would welcome some 100,000 foreign tourists, who initially planned to go to Phuket in Thailand and Langkawi in Malaysia, in the next few weeks. As some tourists may come from countries which are not eligible for visas on arrival, the tourism office has asked the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to arrange an ad hoc visa-on-arrival policy.
Although Indonesia has been the worst-affected country, not many tourist destinations were destroyed. Activities at favorite island resorts, such as Bali and Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, have been unaffected.
MALAYSIA: The northern resort island of Penang, where around 70 bodies have so been recovered, is the worst-hit area in Malaysia. Two beaches in another leading tourist destination, Langkawi island, were damaged by the Tsunami. But underlying the innate – and vital – resilience of the people and of the tourism industry, Penang’s tourism belt of Batu Ferringhi is operating normally with most hotels undamaged and tourist attractions relatively unaffected, according to local reports.
THAILAND: Thailand’s resort island Phuket, which would normally be packed with tourists in the holiday season, has been devastated as have many of the neighbouring areas. The death toll in Thailand has soared above 4,000 with thousands of Thais and foreigners still missing. Several airlines, including Orient Thai, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines and Uni Airways have temporarily suspended flights to Phuket.
Asian aviation and tourism industry set to display “remarkable resilience” again claims Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation
Leading regional travel analysts, The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, said that Asia’s aviation and tourism industry has demonstrated remarkable resilience in this era of the “constant shock syndrome”, and will pull through this latest setback strongly.
In a statement yesterday it said: “Once again, the main focus for the industry will be to overcome negative perceptions generated in the minds of travellers by media coverage, although, travellers from some particularly sensitive outbound markets could be discouraged over the short term.”
Noting the sharp short-term impact in devastated areas such as Phuket, Thailand it added: “The increased presence of low cost carriers serving Southern Thailand, combined with the marketing strengths of Thai Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand and support of industry groups like PATA and AAPA, should quickly restore demand through attractively-priced travel.”
MORE STORIES ON THE INDIAN OCEAN DISASTER
Death toll nears 70,000 after South Asia disaster – 29/12/04
Drastic impact on tourism afterTsunami; Sri Lankan retailer set to start relief fund -28/12/04
“˜Unprecedented disaster’; 25,000 may be dead – terrible impact of South Asia disaster begins to dawn – 27/12/04Alpha Orient Lanka duty free staff missing; others lose families – a Sri Lankan tragedy – 27/12/04
Earthquake and tidal wave disaster hits south and east Asia; crippling blow for tourism – 26/12/04
