Tsunamis could cost
Asia-Pacific $3B
in tourism revenue

SINGAPORE » The Asia-Pacific region could lose as much as $3 billion in tourism revenue this year because of concerns over the Dec. 26 tsunamis, an official for Visa International said after a survey found that 9 percent of travelers planning to visit Asia have changed plans.

The survey found that tourists are staying away even though most resorts were not damaged by the natural disaster.

"As a direct result of the tsunami, there is a risk that nine percent of international travelers planning a holiday in 2005 have switched their travel plans to other regions," said the report, which was commissioned by Visa for the World Tourism Organization.

The study said 30 percent of travelers who were committed to travel in Asia said "there were countries they would not consider as a result of the tsunami."

Those countries include Indonesia, Thailand, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. An earthquake off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Dec. 26 triggered giant waves across the region, killing more than 125,000 people in Indonesia alone.

Paul Dowling, a Singapore-based senior vice president of Visa International, estimated that the Asia-Pacific region could lose $3 billion in an industry that brings in $50 billion from visitors annually. Dowling based the estimate roughly on the survey's percentage of tourists who might choose to skip Asia as a destination.

The survey was conducted by AC Nielsen, which interviewed 500 respondents in each of 10 countries from Feb. 17 to 27. Those countries included the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, China and Australia. The survey did not include a margin of error.

"Concerns over the state of tourism facilities and services in the areas affected by the tsunami are high among those considering Asia," the survey said. "Health is another area of concern and one where travelers have said they would like more information."

Travelers from Sweden, Canada, Britain and Australia were more likely to vacation in tsunami-hit areas as a way of aiding the local community and economy, the survey said.