Tourism Concern, a charity that fights exploitation in tourism, says in a new report that the governments of countries affected by the 2004 tsunami have placed a greater emphasis on improving the tourism sector than on the well being of its citizens hurt in the disaster. The organization also names corruption, poor management and bureaucracy as reasons for the slow recovery. "Governments have used the devastation of the tsunami as an opportunity to push through tourism strategies that drastically affect local coastal communities," said Kelly Haynes, a researcher Tourism Concern. "Local communities now find themselves disempowered and their rights and interests marginalized."
The Observer