The adverse effects of negative reporting by the western media in terms of travel advisories can only by felt by countries who depend largely on tourism. In Asia there are always situations, but all of these do not advocate the type of negative travel dvisories issued so freely by the western media, according to comments made by a visiting Tourism Minister at the 23rd Joint Meeting of the UNWTO (Tourism) Commission for South Asia held in Colombo this week.
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| At the meeting |
Speaking at the conference, Maldivian Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Mariyam Zulfa lashed out at the damage caused by irresponsible reporting by western media and the direct impact it has on tourism.
Responding to a comment made by John Bell, a visiting journalist who said that they all use old footage as they were restrained by budgets, she said, “the fact that you want to get a sensational story out does not in any way justify the damage you can do when bad reporting is done. Our countries depend on tourism. Sometimes these negative travel advisories are on the websites for months. They are also not specific about the geographical area it applies to. Furthere should be a definite time limit on the travel advisory.”
Commenting on the ground situation in Sri Lanka, Pacific Asia Travel Association(PATA) Chairman Hiran Cooray said, “we have come out of a 30 year period of stagnation in tourism. The industry is now blossoming.
This looks very good. The full benefits will only be derived after the whole industry has grown to cater to this new increase in tourism. Our products need improvement. We should heed the WTO statistics and enter into the new emerging markets of China and Korea. I am often asked about the stability and unity and to this I say; It is here. The best way to show it is through tourism.”
Sri Lanka Tourism Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said the importance of media in tourism is paramount. This is the most powerful tool in destination branding. Today there are no barriers to information. The contribution of media in the development of regional tourism cannot be undermined but only to exploited to the maximum added.
Growth projections for the global industry is 45.5% while the Asian expectation is 70 to 9 %. Secretary General UNWTO Dr. Taleb Rifai commenting said, “the industry is arriving at happy times. People are taking the sector for granted. In the periphery of human activity travel and tourism has become a right today and has become an essential human activity.”
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