When Disaster Strikes: How Tourism Can Help Countries in Need

As a traveller, it’s hard to know how to react when tragedy hits your holiday destination. What can you do to stay safe and support muchneeded tourism? Meera Dattani looks at Nepal as an example of how travellers can help a country get back on its feet after a disaster.

Watching the news these days isn’t always the most uplifting experience; a half-hour stint can leave us feeling rather helpless. The devastating earthquake that hit Nepal on 25th April 2015, leaving over 9,000 dead, 22,000 injured and millions homeless, generated a similar sentiment.

Anyone who’s visited this tiny landlocked nation knows of its magic, with its mountain landscapes, ornate temples and some of the world’s kindest people. But as a traveller, how do you realistically support a country in these circumstances?

A plea for ‘trade, not aid’ is a common cry. But what does that mean? After all, aid is required, providing much-needed food, shelter and water. As the uk’s Disasters Emergency Committee (dec) said in 2016, “One year on from Nepal’s worst natural disaster in decades, we can be proud of how much has been achieved across some of the worst-hit remote parts of the country. Lives were saved through clean water, emergency shelter and healthcare.”

Naturally, many travellers are unsure how to react after such an event. The decision to go (or not) tends to rely on accurate, diligent research. While disaster might have hit one region, it may be hundreds of miles away from other perfectly safe areas. Media – and social media – play their part; post-earthquake, the #nepalnow hashtag was used to encourage visitors.

Illustration: Tom Jay

For travel companies themselves, ‘business as usual’ may not be possible immediately. Some donate to specific projects or will be the first to promote a place once it’s deemed safe. As a traveller, choosing responsibly-minded organisations is imperative for finding itineraries and tours that support community tourism or encourage travel to lesser-visited rural areas, offering a direct income to those affected. As Alex Malcolm, founder and md of Jacada Travel, says, “Tourism can help provide a truly sustainable source of income,​​so travelling is a great way​​to help lift countries that are in need.”

Ben Lynam, head of communications at The Travel Foundation, which researches the impact of tourism in a destination, agrees. “Travel and tourism is one of the world’s largest industries and represents a significant proportion of many developing countries' gdp,” he says. “But we need to make sure economic benefits trickle down to the right people – supporting the livelihoods of the communities where tourists visit.”

A recent success can be seen along Mexico’s Yucatán coastline, where an economic, rather than natural, disaster had occurred. With tourism jobs largely restricted to low-paid roles in beach hotels, Mayan people from rural areas were leaving their villages to live in Cancún, leading to loss of cultural traditions and family life. The Travel Foundation set up two projects that allowed small enterprises to access the tourist market – and remain in their communities. One was a jam cooperative, the other a honey products business (that also protects the local Melipona bee).

Judging everything on a case-by-case basis is important, as is research and on-the-ground, first-hand knowledge. "Nepal's largest industry is tourism so when it dries up after a major event like the earthquake, the knock-on effects are huge,” says Kate Herz, Jacada Travel’s Asia expert. “Immediate aid is important, but a revival of tourism is what really helped Nepal get back on its feet. Many Jacada team members have visited since, and found the trekking to be as incredible as it’s always been."

It's proof that travel really can help the places we love to visit. Like a friend in trouble, you find out what they need, and help however you can.