When
a major natural disaster strikes, the damage done to the community
affected is much larger than what is evident in the days and weeks
following the catastrophe. In particular, tourism is hard hit by such
events and, if not properly supported, a community can collapse under
the after-effects of such a disaster. Kumamoto is a popular tourist
destination for Japanese and foreign tourists alike, and the effect
of the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake on local tourism is a concerning
matter. In this article, I will be outlining why post-natural
disaster tourism is so important and what we can do to promote it and
support Kumamoto.
Unemployment
Many
people lose their jobs due to natural disasters – I know this all
too well, because I myself have become unemployed due to the Kumamoto
Earthquake. Buildings where businesses are located are damaged or
destroyed, forcing companies to close. Even other companies that are
not so badly damaged (like mine) sometimes decide to close out of
convenience – its easier to cut their losses than to rebuild, which
takes time, money and effort. In cases where schools and childcare
centres have been forced to close, parents then find that they are
having to take care of their children themselves – forcing them to
quit their jobs. Also, people who are injured or unwell because of
the disaster are unable to work.
Even
though the percentage of those out of work following a disaster may
be small, it has a knock-on effect and contributes to the ongoing
problems following a disaster. People who are out of work need to be
more careful with their money – without a disposable income they
will be less willing to spend. They will be less likely to eat out in
restaurants, visit cafes, stock up on unnecessary household items,
treat themselves... all of this meaning that those businesses who
could usually rely on their custom are now also making less money. If
enough people tighten the purse-strings (and stop visiting local
shops, cafes, etc) how long does it take for those small businesses
that survived the disaster to then be forced to close too due to lack
of profits? It's a vicious circle.
Employment
rates are also affected by tourism. If less tourists visit an area
after a natural disaster, that too can cause companies to fold. An
independent museum or attraction may find that without regular
visitors they are unable to remain open to the public, a restaurant
that previously relied on the custom of tourists may be unable to
continue running and souvenir shops located near to now-destroyed
attractions will be almost certain to close.
The
Land
Depending
on the type and size of the natural disaster, the damage done to the
land can be enormous. Following an earthquake or typhoon, damage can
include collapsed or unsafe buildings, damaged roads and transport
lines, floods, lack of water, gas or electricity. We've had our fair
share of all of these in Kumamoto – a month after the quake, the
river is still a murky brown colour, rubbish and debris continue to
litter the streets, countless buildings are cordoned off and unsafe
to enter... it will take years to put everything right.
In
an area like Kumamoto which is famous for its farming, this too can
be a major problem. The fertility of the land can be ruined – crops
fail, causing food prices to soar in a time when people have less
money than usual as it is.
Public
Image
The
main reason that tourism fails in post-natural disaster areas is down
to the public image of the affected area. Once the public have a
picture in their mind of a certain place, it is very hard to change
that image, which is why promotion of post-natural disaster tourism
is so important.
While
buildings (and lives) are being rebuilt, the public image of a place
devastated by a natural disaster can take much longer to put right –
on the news, all you see are the shock headlines, the casualty rates,
the best shots of the worst hit areas. What the newspapers don't
report on are the everyday people slowly restoring the equilibrium
and returning to normality – the shops and restaurants and public
attractions that do their best to reopen, only to discover that there
is nobody coming.
If
it bleeds it leads, right? The public like sensational stories of
drama and upheaval. But this continued drawing-out of the disaster
contributes to the continued idea that a place is 'unsafe'. Years
after a catastrophe has happened, tourists can be put off visiting a
place because they are unaware that it is now once more a viable
place to visit. Even in the months (and weeks) following a natural
disaster, tourism can be a viable option and people should give it
serious thought before cancelling their travel plans to a disaster
hit area. Right now, is Kumamoto unsafe? Is it dangerous? No, not at
all – no more than any other place in Japan, or any other place in
the world that is prone to earthquakes. Being so hard to predict,
earthquakes are one of those things where you just have to take your
chances.
People
here are moving on with their lives – shops are open, the streets
are full of people, and aside from the obvious areas of danger (such
as areas devastated by landslides and floods, or buildings that are
marked with red 'unsafe' signs imploring you not to enter) there is
really no reason not
to come to Kumamoto.
Positive
Points of Post-Natural Disaster Tourism
It's
not all doom and gloom – there are surprising positives about
tourism following an earthquake. For one thing, communities are
desperate for people to visit and flood the economy with money again,
so tourists can grab amazing deals that are being offered to
encourage visitors. Remember the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that
disappeared in 2014? After the incident, travellers weren't very keen
to use Malaysia Airlines and so the company dropped their prices to
encourage customers – a friend of mine said that by choosing to use
that airline, her dad got an amazing, unheard of deal on an otherwise
super-expensive flight. So that is something to bear in mind when
considering your travel options.
When
travelling to a post-natural disaster area, tourists are far more
likely to buy travel insurance, meaning an increase in business for
local travel insurance companies. While the likelihood of something
requiring insurance happening in such an area is probably no more
likely to occur after the catastrophe than before it, the public
image is that the place is that it is now more dangerous and as such
travel insurance is more important than before. One source I
researched suggested that insurance companies do about 20% more
business in situations like this – certainly nothing to sniff at!
Tourists
who choose to visit such places may be pleased to discover another
plus point, which is that previously crowded attractions and
restaurants with queues out the door are now almost deserted and they
have the place to themselves. Providing, of course, that the
attractions were not damaged or destroyed in the event, tourists will
now spend less time waiting in queues for their tickets, be able to
sit down at once in popular restaurants and
take selfies without a dozen other people milling around in the
backgrounds. In the weeks following the Kumamoto Earthquake, I saw a
Facebook post by an ALT who had visited the Beppu sand onsen – a
top tourist attraction in Kyushu which is usually packed with people
– and he claimed to be the only
person there that day, proving the point about the great experiences
tourists can hope to have when visiting a somewhere after a major
natural disaster.
Another plus point
that you might not have considered is that having had a major natural
disaster raises awareness about an area, and people who had otherwise
never heard of it are suddenly aware that it exists. Before the 2010
Earthquake, I had never heard of Haiti and couldn't have pointed it
out on a map to save my life. Likewise, before the 2011 disaster in
Tohoku, that was just a region in another country where the only city
I could name was the capital. A major natural disaster brings
otherwise unheard-of places into mainstream knowledge, and a small
city like Kumamoto (which the vast majority of foreigners would never
have heard of otherwise) is now recognised all over the world.
Summary
Post-natural
disaster tourism is important for so many reasons - living in
Kumamoto and experiencing this life-changing event has encouraged me
to do my part. For those of you living in or nearby areas affected by
the Kumamoto Earthquake – there are so many things you can do to
help.
Supporting disaster-hit areas is not restricted to pulling
survivors out of piles of rubble and spending your time at volunteer
centres – just getting on with your daily life is also doing your
part. Continuing to support the local economy by shopping, eating
out and spending what you can afford to will support local businesses
– and when doing so, particularly try to support small, independent
companies that have no other fallback. Big chains will pull through
but small companies are what need our support.
And for those of you
not living nearby but who are considering a trip to Kyushu – do it!
Don't be put off because of the earthquake – there is much here to
see and do and more opportunities are appearing every day. Don't
cross Kumamoto off your holiday hit list – we've got a lot of fight
left in us yet.
(images from the Kumamoto Earthquake)
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