cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
How Soon Should You Travel Somewhere After A Disaster? - MSN
The city of Santa Rosa knows you still want to visit California’s wine country even after devastating wildfires ripped through the region in 2017 and 2019. The Sonoma Valley city wants you to come, too; much of its economy relies on tourism dollars, to the tune of $2 billion a year for the region. But maybe skip the selfies with burnt-out homes.
“What I would say for anyone planning a visit to an area as a disaster is occurring, or following a disaster: just be mindful of your relationship to that area,” said Kevin King, the city’s marketing and outreach and coordinator. “You’ve got to be more sensitive than your normal [holiday] trip.”
The question of when to visit a place that has been struck by a disaster is one tourism officials say is tricky to get right. Visit too early and you’ll be in the way of recovery efforts and occupy hotels that could be used for temporary housing. But stay away completely and you’ll deprive the area of the much-needed tourism income it’s counting on to get back on its feet. For instance, Justin Francis, founder of Responsible Travel, has written that locals in Phuket, Thailand complained the 2004 tsunami was followed by an “economic tsunami” due to a lack of tourism.
The city of Santa Rosa knows you still want to visit California’s wine country even after devastating wildfires ripped through the region in 2017 and 2019. The Sonoma Valley city wants you to come, too; much of its economy relies on tourism dollars, to the tune of $2 billion a year for the region. But maybe skip the selfies with burnt-out homes.
“What I would say for anyone planning a visit to an area as a disaster is occurring, or following a disaster: just be mindful of your relationship to that area,” said Kevin King, the city’s marketing and outreach and coordinator. “You’ve got to be more sensitive than your normal [holiday] trip.”
The question of when to visit a place that has been struck by a disaster is one tourism officials say is tricky to get right. Visit too early and you’ll be in the way of recovery efforts and occupy hotels that could be used for temporary housing. But stay away completely and you’ll deprive the area of the much-needed tourism income it’s counting on to get back on its feet. For instance, Justin Francis, founder of Responsible Travel, has written that locals in Phuket, Thailand complained the 2004 tsunami was followed by an “economic tsunami” due to a lack of tourism.