Tourism is an economic activity that is affected by many other factors in the industry. However, there are many factors that adversely affect the economic activity positively or negatively. This paper explains the impacts that natural disasters might have in tourism as an economic activity. Natural disasters can sometimes become a great barrier to tourism. Tourism is often described as a temporary visit to a new place especially a region or a country (Becken, & Ren, 2012). This movement to a new place can sometimes be compromised with unfavorable natural disasters. A natural disaster, on the other hand, is described as natural catastrophic events that when they occur, they bring about catastrophic consequences to the living things and especially human beings and endangered animals (Cohen, 2007). These events can mostly affect tourism in many ways, and the process compromises the natural environment and the natural habitat of the animals.
A good link that can be established between a disaster and tourisms and its effects is the environment in general. Tourism is the significant source of income in many of the developing countries, and therefore many countries prefer having a stable income that flows through their economies (David, 2010). However, in the event of a catastrophic event, the constant flow of cash is limited, and thus the economy of the country is completely compromised. The impact of natural disasters on tourism is varied and have different impacts on the general economy. Therefore, in some cases, natural disasters can sometimes become very disadvantageous to the tourism sector in that they might send away the tourists. In other cases some natural disasters can become tourist attraction centers and therefore they can become viable sources of income to the country. In such places that become tourist attraction centers. In most cases, they become the hot zones for educational expenditures, and it also becomes the sources for the historical monuments and geographical phenomena that attracts many research personnel.
A good example of the positive impact of the disaster on tourism is Cornish Village in Boscastle. In this place, there was an unimaginable flood back in 2004. The rainfall recorded an amount of 200mm, and the rain fell for up to 24-hours. There were a lot of property destroyed in the area. However, there were no casualties involved in the disaster. Most of the people in the region were airlifted to safety, and they were saved from the menace of the flood. The ruins of the village prompted the government to initiate a program that made them decide to rebuild the area and ensure that the areas are effectively and appropriately managed (Helmer, & Hilhorst, 2006). In the next few years, the government had started a plan and an initiative to ensure that the village is rebuilt. In the process, therefore, the area residents benefited in numerous ways. To begin with, the government pumped in millions of dollars to help in the reconstruction of the village (Richardson, March, Lewis, & Radel, 2011). Besides, this project brought in more jobs, and they also provided room for business activities in the village.
In most cases, disasters normally have negative impacts on tourism activities in the country. Natural calamities often bring unexpected expenses in the country’s economy. In most cases when such events occur, the country often devote huge amounts of cash towards the disaster in trying to remedy the situation (Ritchie, Mair, & Walters, 2014). A good example is the Montserrat which is a Caribbean island. This place was a thriving with the business of tourism. Therefore it has been a great tourist attraction center until the time of the eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano in 1995.
References
Becken, S., & Ren, P. Y. (2012). Challenges for Tourism in Natural Areas – Cost of Carbon and Natural Disasters. Advanced Materials Research, 573-574, 266-270. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.573-574.266
Cohen, E. (2007). Tsunami and Flash-floods—Contrasting Modes of Tourism-related Disasters in Thailand. Tourism Recreation Research, 32(1), 21-39. doi:10.1080/02508281.2007.11081521
David, L. (2010). The effect of natural hazards and disasters for tourism: case studies in the Carpathian Basin. Sustainable Tourism IV. doi:10.2495/st100221
Disaster Tourism. (n.d.). Natural Disasters and Victorian Empire. doi:10.1057/9781137001139.0005
Helmer, M., & Hilhorst, D. (2006). Natural disasters and climate change. Disasters, 30(1), 1-4. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9523.2006.00302.x
Richardson, S., March, R., Lewis, J., & Radel, K. (n.d.). Analysing the impact of the 2011 natural disasters on the Central Queensland tourism industry. Tourism crisis and disaster management in the Asia-Pacific, 149-160. doi:10.1079/9781780643250.0149
Ritchie, B. W., Mair, J., & Walters, G. (2014). Tourism Crises and Disasters. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Tourism, 611-622. doi:10.1002/9781118474648.ch49
