30 December 2004
By Financial Times

Just three days after the Indian Ocean tsunami swept over almost all the islands and atolls of the Maldives, tourists are once again willing to travel to the sparsely populated archipelago, according to travel agencies and Maldives officials.

That is a measure of the resilience of tourism in the face of unprecedented devastation and human tragedy. For the Maldives government, it is a relief as it seeks to fund rescue efforts with hard currency from tourism. It also helps to explain why tour operators are putting a brave face on the crisis.

Waves destroyed boats and property, Maldives

Yesterday, Hassan Sobir, the Maldives high commissioner in London, called a news conference to encourage tourists back to the island nation, where 65 people had been confirmed dead in a country with a population of 300,000.

He was at a loss to explain how the low-lying islands had withstood the wave that swept across south-east Asia after Sunday's earthquake with relatively few fatalities.

But he said tourism flights would resume from the UK in a few days, with 60 Maldives resorts - the vast majority - either fully or partly operational. "Undoubtedly, [tourism] will be a significant measure in helping the Maldives overcome this disaster as the country seeks to get back on to its feet."

Kuoni, the Swiss tour operator, said some British holidaymakers planned to fly to the Maldives this weekend, even though it had offered them refunds.

"It's quite amazing to me. It's a near miracle for the Maldives," said Sue Biggs, Kuoni's UK managing director. She said that next week the operator could resume flying clients to coastal regions of Sri Lanka, where luxury hotels withstood the wave better than less sturdy structures.

She said tourists were getting back to life as usual surprisingly quickly, even in crisis-hit areas such as the Thai resort of Phuket. According to one of her managers there, golf was being played once again at the Sheraton Hotel in Phuket.

The speed with which tourism returns to normal is vital to the affected countries, eager for hard currency, as well as to the profitability of the travel industry.

Ms Biggs said precedents from recent crises such as the Bali bombings, Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and the September 11 terrorist attacks suggested recovery might be fairly quick, though she was sensitive to the risk that tourists would demand water - in swimming pools for example - and other services that might be crucial for local people. "If I look back to 9/11 and the Bali bombings, recovery takes anything from one to three months," Ms Biggs said.

Qantas, the Australian airline, said it continued to operate regular services to Bangkok, Indonesia and India, but was offering full refunds to people booked on flights to the affected areas until January 31.

There was a similar message from UK-based First Choice Holidays, which had 1,200 customers in the area. Instead of flying out new tourists yesterday, it carried 18 tons of emergency water in the hold of one of its rescue aircraft bound for the Maldives.