Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

The recovery of the tourism sector will depend upon the expediency of the reconstruction
of such facilities in addition to sector-specific assets. Tourists may be deterred from visiting
provinces in the central region if the roads are seen to be rough, the water unsafe and
electrical power unstable.
Although tourism-related businesses are private in ownership, they may need assistance
from the government through extension of credit assistance for business recovery or the restructuring
of debt repayments for those who have loans from government banks. In these
cases, tax relief could be considered. Thailand has previous experience in these financial
areas through utilizing of tools established in previous crises. However, the specific needs
for credit or debt restructuring in the tourism sector are not determined or recommended in
this paper. This will be subject to further analysis by the government.
Queensland, Australia: One Massive Flood with One Honest, Credible Voice
Five months of heavy rain from August 2010 set the stage for large-scale flooding in central
Queensland, Australia in January 2011. Transportation networks were hit hard with more than
20,000 kilometers of roads flooded and 5,000 kilometers of rail tracks damaged. The news of
Queensland’s plight spread globally as the capital city of Brisbane was paralyzed with pervasive
blackouts of electricity and crippled telecommunications grids.
Queensland, a large state in Australia’s north, generates 20 percent of the country’s economic
activity including 28 percent of its fruit and vegetable production and 25 percent of Australia’s
total visitor nights. The rains and subsequent flooding, which garnered extensive media coverage,
not only impacted transportation and lodging assets, but run-off water and sediment threatened
the highly valued tourism asset of the Great Barrier Reef with cloudy waters and discoloration of
coral. Overall, loss to tourism in just Queensland was estimated at AUD $50 million.
Successful recovery has proven to be a collaborative effort. A budget of AUD$12 million for
post-flood tourism industry recovery was established with 50 percent of this contributed by the
Australian federal government and 50 percent from the Queensland state government. About
half of these funds were used for augmented marketing efforts. Funds were also used for
various forms of travel industry support including assistance with repairs to travel industry
related infrastructure, subsidies to affected tourism businesses and support for training. Private
sector support further augmented this funding with both firm and destination-focused efforts.
Fundamental to achieving disaster response and recovery best practice in the tourism sector is
speed and accuracy of information before, during and after a crisis. Filling this need for
Australia’s tourism sector was the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC), a private
sector, membership-based, not-for-profit organization with over 3,000 members from all sectors
and stakeholder groups. It became the focal point for all tourism industry updates and guidance.
As a media voice for tourism, provider of information, disseminator of research findings and
policy advocate, QTIC “does everything but marketing”. This capacity enabled them to be
uniquely able as a credible and singular voice for the sector during and after the crisis. With
links to Australia’s regional tourism organizations as well as 20 key sectoral associations, QTIC
served the important role of an independent, credible and responsive voice for the tourism’s
public and private sector stakeholders.
While Queensland was able to return to pre-flood levels of visitor volume in about six months,
“perception damage” to tourism beyond the state of Queensland stretched widely to impact both
domestic and international demand in many regions not physically damaged by the flood.
Globally recognized celebrities helped provide compelling images. For example, Oprah
Winfrey’s televised shows attracted attention to Queensland. The global broadcasts and internet
messages enabled memorable images of Australia’s tourism offerings – replacing those of the
flooding – in a timely manner.
THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING
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