Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the relatives and friends of the victims of this terrible tragedy…
Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the relatives and friends of the victims of this terrible tragedy. And to the nations who are battling with the effects and aftermath of the earthquakes and tidal waves.
It is particularly tragic that yet again the Asia Pacific region is the target of such pain and suffering. At a time when the region’s tourism economies have been recovering so dynamically from past crises.
WTO will actively collaborate and assist in the immediate response and bring our systems into play to help where it is needed. We are well aware of the pivotal work of PATA to provide leadership for regional recovery from past disasters and we will engage with them and with others in the global tourism family.
We will bring into play the considerable expertise acquired in the response to the almost continuous disaster situations around the world in recent years – natural and man made, as well as the crisis management tools developed to help tourism administrations act with speed and efficiency.
We will also convene an early meeting of our Recovery Committee to respond to the current crisis and to look at strategic options. This in conjunction with members in the region, PATA and other concerned organizations.
Even more immediately we will combine forces with e-TurboNews (www.tourismpartners.org/relief) and its ICTP to augment the excellent instant information and support system they have put in place. For some time we have been exploring possible ways and means to build on WTO’s global tourism activity and e-TurboNews global communications role. This tragedy has been the catalyst. Going forward we will work together to provide a mechanism for information exchange and support.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
