Crock of doo dah? - MALDIVES HOLIDAYS 'BACK ON'

[domlee]

Crock of doo dah? - MALDIVES HOLIDAYS \'BACK ON\'

(rant started)

How's this for cynical?

MALDIVES HOLIDAYS 'BACK ON'

(This is a direct quote)

British tourists could be holidaying again on the Tsunami-hit Maldives islands by this (this!) weekend, say travel agents. (my parenthesis)

Tour operators are considering flights to the Indian Ocean destination, the Association of British Travel Agents said.

"We have heard from hoteliers that some resorts in the Maldives are unaffected and thought is being given to flights there this weekend," said spokeswoman Frances Tuke.

Holiday companies are also considering switching clients due to travel to the wrecked Thai resort of Phuket to other resorts within the country, she added.

"Obviously, it's going to be some time before people are going to be able to travel again to the worst-hit areas," Ms Tuke went on.

"But people returning home have spoken of the kindness and sympathy shown them by local people.

"One way they can repay them is to return when possible and boost tourism in these hard-hit places.

"At the moment, people's reaction to this disaster has been mixed. Some are keen to travel but others are understandably wary of visiting these areas."
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Visit the following site (on a periodic basis) and you will see what I mean.

See..http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13273501,00.html

Do people at this time need a BMW, SKY News or some other luxury item etc? (I am referring to the pop-ups that appear when you visit this site).

__________________________________________________________________

I guess I'm just trying to get this out of my system but I would prefer to see 'pop-ups' on a news site that could support people who want to know more about the problem or who in some way want to help solve the problem in the right direction.

To use a high interest news item in this way to gain greater consumer exposure for commercial product(s) , to me, is both abusive and offensive!

Come on Sky! Call on the 'holidaymakers' and 'travel agents' to donate their costs/profits to relief funds AND DO IT NOW. We are in a situation where every bowl of rice or drink of fresh water can save a life....

Tomorrrow we can sail to our heart's content in what is one of the most beautiful parts of the world but TODAY we have to preserve the spirit of that part of the world. Let us get our act together to help a part of our people, through no fault of their own, who are facing one of nature's perverse challenges.

They do not need tourists or tour operators. They do need support, both material and spiritual and those in the West, who profess to have so much of this in surfit, can surely pass a little of it along...

(rant over)

 

[sailorman]

Re: Crock of doo dah? - MALDIVES HOLIDAYS \'BACK ON\'

fully agree.
to stop pop-ups go 2
http://panicware.com./

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Re: Crock of doo dah? - MALDIVES HOLIDAYS \'BACK ON\'

I have to disagree. Reading The Times today, it is obvious from comments of all holiday resort businesses in the stricken areas, that the one thing they all want, is tourism to return to normal ASAP. The one thing they are scared stiff of, is holiday makers not returning, because it is their biggest export (or import, depending how you look at it) and they envisage generations that will miss this income as a result of this tragedy.

It's all well and good to send a few quid to aid agencies, but the only way these people will survive and have their dignity restored as well as livelihoods, is to spend the thousands of £'s / $'s that we used to on holidaying there. As well as immediate aid, that would be my wish for them.

All in all, its not looking good.

 

[Peppermint]

Re: Is there a bigger picture?

If the holidaymakers don't go does that increase the impact on the afflicted economies? Only their governments can say. If they didn't want the tourists they'd soon stop them coming in.

The economic danger after any great disaster is not just in the areas affected. It's also to the surrounding regions that are undamaged. If my hotel is in perfect nick and the infrastructure surrounding it works why should I go bust because of a, quite incorrect, blanket impression that the whole areas gone TU.

Some of the regions hit by the wave rely on tourism for most of their income. It needs to be got going ASAP. I'd come down on the side of getting things moving providing there's no increased risk and it's not ripping assets away from lifesaving efforts elsewhere.

If the holiday is already booked, unless the Home Office says don't go, your contracted to go. A lot of people won't want to go, hey there could be another wave, but thats between them, their tour operator and their insurers.

Despite what the media tells us. Life does go on. It may be that one mans cynicism is another mans pragmatism and that very pragmatism is their countries lifeline.

 

[snowleopard]

Re: Crock of doo dah? - MALDIVES HOLIDAYS \'BACK ON\'

of course it is neither possible nor desirable to go on holiday to the affected areas but if the countries are to have any chance of re-building their infrastructures the tourist income to unaffected areas must continue.

the danger is that people will assume that entire countries are either dangerous or devastated. also the reactions posted above suggest that anyone who does go will be considered callous or exploiting.

 

[kimhollamby]

Interesting issues

Feel in the crosshairs twice over with this post.

Firstly haven't a clue how the site concerned arranges its ads but it is likely that they are called on a 'zone' basis rather than per an individual news page. If that is the case they might have little control unless they turned off the ads for the whole of that zone. I doubt to be honest that there has been deliberate targeting against the individual news story. When dealing with any media the eternal nightmare if you have more than a grain of sensitivity if the placement of ads versus content, especialy as it is not always as controllable as you would want it to be (and the law of Sod is also heavily at work in this area).

Second, I theoretically fly to the Maldives on 20 January for a diving holiday. To be honest I thought it had all got washed out, literally, but just found myself thankful I hadn't been out there on or under the water when it happened. Also shared the general concern expressed by many here about the carnage seen on TV - having visited Phuket and Langkawi and just met some marine business guys from Male it was not as personal for me as for many but nevertheless felt quite close to home.

Now we have seen a post from the dive team at the resort where we were due to stay saying that facilities are operational, guests are safe and please still come out.

I guess we will be in the hands of the travel agent to a certain extent but if it turns out they give the green light (and hence remove the easy option of calling it quits and turning to an insurance refund) will we be exploiting the situation if we do go? To a certain extent we will be taking a chance insofar as one might logically expect things to be not as smooth as they might otherwise have been - and right now there also seems to be an FCO notice in force advising against travel; on the other hand does the visit actually put pressure on other elements in the Maldives (literally will the food we eat or the flight seat we occupy deprive someone else)? I genuinely don't have personal answers to these questions at this stage.

 

[pessimist]

Re: Crock of doo dah? - MALDIVES HOLIDAYS \'BACK ON\'

Terribly ambivalent about this. On the one hand it might seem callous to holiday in an area with such problems. On the other many peoples' livelihood depend on tourism. Dunno what the answer is - but it ain't easy.

 

[halcyon]

Re: Interesting issues

Or are you putting money into the local economy to enable them to buy food?

Is there a simple answer.

Brian

 

[kimhollamby]

Feedback from the resort...

...seems to be please, please, come out and spend your cash as planned.

Although Maldives got off relatively lightly as events went it seems that many people there had relatives in the more heavily damaged parts of SE Asia.

Will be fascinating to see if airlines are going to be asked to raise personal baggage allowance - what seems to be happening is that previous guests are asking ones about to go out to take out parcels for staff.

Of course that cuts against current advice of supplying aid in cash form - our parent co has just announced a grant package today and also a dollar for dollar employee matching scheme. But I guess these are more in the nature of personal gifts for known names.

 

[PeterStone]

Re: Interesting issues

< (literally will the food we eat or the flight seat we occupy deprive someone else)? I genuinely don't have personal answers to these questions at this stage. >

I just read today that, at an airport in one of the afflicted areas, there are 175 tons of food and other supplies that can't be shifted because there is no fuel for the lorries and additionally all the roads have been washed away. I don't think it's a shortage of aid that's going to be the problem - just the enormous logistical challenges of getting it to where it's needed.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Re: Feedback from the resort...

It would be all to easy for us (The West) to turn our back on the long term problem, it's easy enough to donate some cash ( I'll be doing an hour collecting for Rotary Friday AM at Sainsbury's Chi). But these people need tourism for long term prosperity. At first, it might appear callous, taking a holiday in a disaster area, but it's better to spend your money there than to switch to, say, the Caribbean.

Kim, that’s a good idea, stuff as many clothes as you can into your baggage, then leave them there when you return, after all it will be months before you need shorts and a 'T' shirt here!

 

[LittleShip]

Re: Crock of doo dah? - MALDIVES HOLIDAYS \'BACK ON\'

This is not aimed at anyone answer,........ but why dont all the people who were going to go there and have now decided not too due to the problems, just donate the money they would have spent to the charities that have been set up. That way we can get this disaster over with as quickly as possible. Money isnt the best answer but it will help short term and none of us really need that exotic holiday, do we!
I cant imagine what it would be like without fresh water, food or a cover to sleep under?????????? send the cash.

 

[Ships_Cat]

Re: Feedback from the resort...

I think the answer is on the update on their tourist promotion site http://www.visitmaldives.com.mv/mu/. Think it boils down to them saying "Please come, things are working ok now, we need you or the disaster will be even bigger".

John