As if a flood wasn’t disastrous enough, there are long-lasting effects on tourism

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Tourists often rush to cancel trips during a flood even if the specific region they planned to travel to isn’t affected at all. While the immediate effect of a flood is disastrous enough to local business, that’s not the end of the story. Because it’s common for natural disasters to have heavy media coverage, tourism is often affected for weeks, months, even years after a particular event. The current flooding in Bangkok is sure to be the same.

The scenes presented on televisions around the globe after a series of disastrous floods hit Queensland and Brisbane have ensured that Australian tourism still hasn’t recovered. The local economic impact is high and many travel suppliers believe it will take another year before full recovery is achieved.

In some cases, however, travel to flood-affected areas can be cost-effective. After Japan’s recent earthquake and the subsequent tsunami and nuclear crisis, tourism dropped to such low levels that a national campaign was begun and Japan is now considering an innovative approach to boost tourism: 10,000 free airfares to visit the country. The decision hasn’t been made about awarding those flight yet.