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Tourism in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Samoa in light of recent disasters
In light of the recent quakes in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Samoa and the total devastation in the areas surrounding Manila, Padang, and Apia, it's important to understand what tourism will look like as these tourism hot spots recover. Here's a look at the current relief work happening in each locale, and some speculation as to what tourism will look like in the coming year. The Philippines
Nearly a third of Manila, the capital city, was under water after a devastating quake late last month. Today, news is coming in that a second quake hit the Moro Gulf off Mindanao. Recovery in the city will certainly be slow and difficult, and as the main hub in the Philippines, travel will be slow and treacherous, meaning travelers to the Philippines might be better off waiting a few months before embarking on a pleasure trip.
Indonesia
Two massive earthquakes rocked Indonesia. Most recently, the popular surf destination of Padang was completely brought to rubble. Several tourists -- most of whom are surfers -- are still missing and presumed dead, and the recovery process in this remote area of Sumatra will be very slow. Indonesia has long been a top surfing destination, but in the wake of these earthquakes and the political unrest in this part of the country, travelers may well be wary of traveling to this area -- and rightly so.
Samoa
My friend recently returned from a surf trip from Samoa, where she and her boyfriend missed a swell, but are now feeling just fortunate to be safe and home. The resort she stayed in has now been completely destroyed by the tsunami that hit the island after an earthquake struck offshore. Samoa, too, will be slow to recover from such devastation. Like Indonesia, the country is slowly becoming a hot surf destination, but surfers will likely head to less volatile areas in light of these natural disasters.
While tourism for pleasure may slow in all these areas, volunteer opportunities abound. Should you be interested in helping a hand on ground in one of these countries, visit one of the following websites for more information.
Filed under: Surfing, Asia, Oceania, Indonesia, Philippines, Samoa
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carl Parkes Oct 4th 2009 7:42PM
The problems of flooding in Manila were caused by typhoons and not quakes. Padang is not a surfing spot, but the nearby islands of Nias and Siberut are.
Markus Oct 5th 2009 6:50AM
You seriously do not know what you are talking about! Have you got any idea of how big Indonesia is? Political instability in Indonesia? Oh dear...you need to learn about geography and recent history. Yes, there were terrorism attacks recently in Indonesia, but every countries in this planet face the threat of terrorism these days. And just because Padang is unfortunate to be located on the tectonic plate, it does not mean that the whole of Indonesia is prone to earthquake and tsunami. Indonesia is big, and anybody should do some research before going there, so you know which part of the country is risky, and which part is not. By the way, Padang is not a surfing destination at all. Padang is the capital of West Sumatera, where some surfing spots like Mentawai island and Siberut island are under Padang's administration. For the time being, choose other provinces if you wanna surf in Indonesia.
Julia Oct 5th 2009 4:46PM
Manila has been affected by flooding, but the main tourist spots in the Philippines are Boracay and Cebu, and in those places it is business as usual.
Suavesito Oct 9th 2009 2:26AM
Fortunately, we don't live anymore in the 1980's: Manila was the only international gateway to the Philippines, then. These days, there are many direct flights to Cebu City from almost every major East Asian city. And from Cebu there are several daily flights to other major domestic destinations. So, one can avoid the chaos in Metro Manila flying directly to the Visayas, where, as Julia correctly writes, the main tourist destinations are: Cebu, Boracay, Bohol, and many many more.