Disaster tourism The term disaster tourism describes leisure traveling to areas struck by natural disasters. Even though a natural disaster is for the most of the cases an unpleasant and sad event, many tourists pay and travel just because of possibility to see it either during its‘ process or after it to see the consequences. They do it mostly because of curiosity and desire to see something rare. It has been argued that such trips are also seeked by people because of the option of puting our lives into perspective. This type of tourism provides also an option to use it as pedagogical intstrument for communities to make the time of recovery from disasters more effective and shorter.
(Stone, P., & Sharpley, R. 2008) (Faulkner, B. 2001)
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This attracts not only disaster tourists, but also volunteer tourists, willing to help with the reconstructions and recovery process and also academics and students doing researches about the consequences of disaster and about the disaster tourism itself. It has been said by members of University of British Columbia faculty, that now especially with the global media what we have are all kinds of occasions in which we are confronted by death and disaster and therefore the disaster tourism is kind of a way for people to reconnect in some way of a deep theoretical level, but at the same time people are also very interested in the extraordinary events and experiences. A part of it however, can also be peoples‘ interest to help and many of them are also aware that even this kind of tourism can partly help to rebuild the regions‘ economy.
( University of British Columbia,
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Several ghost-towns that had to be evacuated because of the radiation are nowadays still uninhabitable and it is not possible to stay in their area for longer period of time without undergoing a risk of diseases caused by radiation. These have now also become a disaster tourist destinations. A town called Namie is located only eight kilometers away from the place of destroyed nuclear power plant and is also a place visited by disaster tourists. There are 10 volunteers guiding people in this abandoned town.
(dw.com, 2016) The Fukushima disaster has highly influenced not just the tourism in Japan, but also in other countries like for example Hawaii, where Japanese people are the number one market segment for international visitors to the islands and also the largest spenders. This fact has made the tourism sector of Hawaii compulsory to investigate situation and try to determine where they might have been able to promote the islands to compensate for the fall in Japanese
Hurricane Katrina left a devastating scar on the citizens of the southern coast of the U.S., especially New Orleans, Louisiana. The category 5 hurricane was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the most deadly. Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29th, 2005 and after that day, 66,000 people were displaced from their homes. Of those who decided to ride out the storm with hopes of success and survival as they had experienced with other storms, they were found on their rooftops, in their attics, hoping for boat or helicopter rescue, relying on others for help to survive. The storm had reached 28,000 square feet inward to Louisiana, which was 60 percent of the state. 1,100 Louisianans lost their lives, and 200,000 were displaced and/or lost their homes (Davis 8). It was a devastating time of despair and suffering. People were put through experiences that would scar them for a long time. While preparing for evacuation, people left most of their belongings at home to flee to a safer city or to find shelter in the Superdome and Convention Center. Some even decided to remain in their boarded up homes. After the hurricane had past, a few hours went by and a levee located near the Mississippi River canal broke leaving New Orleans flooded (Delisi). After the disaster, the state and federal governments were pointing fingers at each other as to who was to blame for the poorly planned evacuation and rescue efforts for the victims. The state government promised to help evacuate those who could not transport themselves. Citizens were told to go to the Superdome and convention center for evacuation, but the supplies needed for survi...
In August of 2005 one of the worst “natural disasters” hit New Orleans, putting the city through many hardships after Hurricane Katrina hit. The city would not have gotten as damaged as it did if it were not for the levees breaking. In addition, if the government acted immediately upon what happened in New Orleans, the city would most likely be further along in reconstruction and transition than it is now. Finally, if FEMA gave the citizens of New Orleans water, food, and other much needed humanitarian aid and supplies immediately following this devastation than many people would be satisfied and back up on their feet, but that is not what happened. After Katrina hit the government and President Bush knew long before the hurricane came what
When Hurricane Sandy hit shore in 2012 it left behind a path of debris and destruction that the coastal communities of New Jersey and New York were not adequately prepared for. Starting as a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean, Sandy made its way up the Atlantic coast before making a sharp turn for the densely populated northeast. Unlike other hurricanes in the region, Sandy maintained momentum as it moved north and met unusually warm waters that helped fuel the storm’s enormous power. It made landfall during a high tide that creating record storm surges, that resulted flooding and massive damage. On its journey, the the hurricane accumulated energy as it merged with a low-pressure system coming from the west. These conditions created the vicious weather system that dumped rain and snow across the region. The destruction costs were among the highest in history, and more than a year later, communities are still working to recover. To many, Sandy was a wake-up call, creating a new sense of urgency to make cities and neighborhoods resilient in the face of natural disasters. Storms are an inevitable part of living on the coast, but the need for long-term recovery and preparation for the future is growing due to the threat of climate change.
Hurricane Sandy, also commonly referred to as Superstorm Sandy, is known as the most devastating, destructive, and deadliest hurricane that hit the Atlantic in 2012. The storm emerged in late October of that year. In terms of fatalities, over 286 people were killed in seven different countries. 117 were killed in the US and an additional 69 were killed in other countries throughout the world. [2] In terms of costly damage, this natural disaster was the second most expensive hurricane in US History. [3] Hurricane Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak when it had first hit Cuba. Eventually, Sandy had turned into a Category 2 storm once it had moved up and hit off the coast of the Northeastern US. The storm was named the largest Atlantic hurricane that was ever recorded, with measurements that included winds reaching an upwards of 1,100 miles per hour. [3]
The Texas City Disaster of 1947 was a disaster that really left a impact to the world. The Texas City Disaster of 1947 was one of the world's worst industrial disasters.
On October 22, 2012, a tropical depression began to form in the Caribbean Sea due to steadily increasing wind speeds and low pressure. Hurricane Sandy quickly developed making landfall as a category 1 hurricane. From its formation in the Caribbean Sea on October 22, 2012 to its dissipation on October 31, 2012 hurricane Sandy lasted a total of 9 days ravaging the east coast of the United States and parts of the Caribbean. Hurricane Sandy was an extremely large and complex cyclone; analyzing its highly affected areas, unique characteristics, and damage reports help us to understand the lasting impact natural disasters leave in their wake.
The month of August in 2005 was an extremely shocking and devastating time for the United States more particularly for the people of New Orleans, Louisiana. For a city that was already crumbling for many years something tragic was about to happen. On the 29th of August a rated Category 3 hurricane made landfall. The name of the tragic disastrous storm is Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina, will forever be known as one of the worst storms in United States history. Tearing apart the lives of so many people in just a short period of time(Hurricane Katrina, par. 1).
Hurricane Katrina, a category 5 hurricane at its highest, made impact between August 23-30th 2005, and has since gone down as the most devastating and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. In preparation for the impact of the storm, on August 27th 2005, two days before the hurricane made landfall, President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Waterford nuclear plant was shut down for precautionary reasons in the wake of the oncoming storm and mandatory evacuations were issued for large parts of the southeast. Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans stated that about 80% of the 480,000 people asked to evacuate heeded warnings. Evacuation orders were also made for areas along the Mississippi coast, low-lying coastal areas in Alabama, as well as the barrier islands in western Florida Panhandle.
People did many things to prepare for Hurricane Sandy. Many people who lived on or near the coastline were given evacuation orders by government officials. These areas were likely to experience severe flooding. The people who lived in low elevations along the coast were particularly in danger. These people left their homes in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; some were fortunate enough to find a hotel to stay in or relatives to stay with. Others who weren’t as fortunate waited in community shelters. Organizations such as the American Red Cross opened shelters specifically for people who had to leave their homes because of Hurricane Sandy.
There are hundreds of natural disasters that occur on the earth on a yearly basis. Some natural disasters are more severe than other natural disasters. disasters include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. These disasters cause great trauma, stress, major property damage and sometimes death. Natural disasters is any catastrophic event that is caused by nature or the natural processes of the earth. The severity of a disaster are measured in lives lost, economic loss, and the ability of the population to rebuild. The bigger, the population the disaster hits, the more repairs needed. In many cases, these major events are heartbreaking to watch, let alone to experience. (“Natural disasters,” n.d.)
Tourism impacts can be generally classified into seven categories with each having both positive and negative impacts. These impacts include; economic, environmental, social and cultural, crowding and congestion, taxes, and community attitude. It is essential for a balance on array of impacts that may either positively or negatively affect the resident communities. Different groups are concerned about different tourism impacts that affect them in one way or another. Tourism’s benefits can be increased by use of specific plans and actions. These can also lead to decrease in the gravity of negative impacts. Communities will not experience every impact but instead this will depend on particular natural resources, development, or spatial patterns (Glen 1999).
This essay is the respond to the Local Council Member who has wrong idea about a common archetype of adventure tourist. This misconception based on ignorance of current tourism industry, could potentially be a dangerous for local economy and development. The local authority must be well informed about present conditions with the tourism market, before they will make a far reaching decisions about the development direction in this industry. Currently, there are many organisations whose monitoring an international tourism business and this knowledge supposed to be good use for our common good.
Disaster tourism: traveling to a disaster scene not primarily for helping, but because it is interesting to see. It can be a problem if it hinders rescue, relief and repair work.
Nowadays in the rea of globalization, according to the World Tourism Organization, “seven hundred million people travelled abroad in 2003”, and the number is estimated to increase to 1.6 billion by 2020. (International Labour Organization, 2005). Tourism is spreading in unusual places. A lot of people want to be in the midst of adventure. It is a vital source of revenues for the GDP of many countries. I partially agree that tourism hugely benefits the local community. This essay will discuss some of the economic, social and environment effect of tourism on the host community.
The impact of natural disaster over the years has negative effects on human physical, social and economic wellbeing, none the less the need to adopt practices to mitigate the risk impact on society is essential to a rapid recovery process. Professor Stephen Nelson (2013), a lecturer in the department of Earth and Environmental Science at the Tulane University in New Orleans explained in his report that hurricane being a natural disaster cannot be controlled by man but studying its pattern and effect on mankind can be manipulated to curtail the potential impact on residents and finding ways to protect themselves and their property as best as possible. He further reiterated that the essence of vulnerability affecting human life via disasters is mainly due to lack of public education and awareness. By effectively informing residents in Portland Cottage of the potential risk of hurricane Dean the full outcome of the catastrophic event can be minimized.