Tsunami Lesssons from the Indian Ocean
Deepest condolences to the people of Samoa and Tonga.
The priorities for the first few days and weeks need to be caring for the injured, accommodating the homeless, and restoring basic service to affected areas.
However, looking a little further down the track, the most useful thing people from around the world can do to help Samoa right now is to continue with their planned holiday there for the upcoming summer (winter) break.
Boxing Day 2004. I was living in Singapore working for Tourism New Zealand as I watched on TV the carnage all around us in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The island of Singapore itself was sheltered from the devasting waves by Sumatra.
We learned from this disaster that the damage comes in two waves. The first is the physical devastation caused by the tsunami itself. But this is quickly cleaned up and in a few weeks things are operating somewhat normally. The second wave of damage for tropical resort destinations is that international visitors, spooked by all the images on CNN and BBC, stay away for up to a year.
The Samoa tsunami has badly damaged a few of the resorts on Upolu`s southern coast. But most of Samoa`s resorts are still operational. Places like Aggie Greys and Insel Fehmarn are totally open for business. Tourism is a foundation stone of Samoa`s economy. Tourism has grown quickly this decade to make Samoa the 3rd largest visitor destination in the South Pacific - after Fiji and Tahiti. It is very important that the world`s travellers realise that the tsunami is a one-off event that could happen anywhere. Please think about Samoa as a holiday destination. It is a great place to visit and the people there need you to come.
See also article by Eloise Gibson in The New Zealand Herald.