Tsunami Impact on Abacus Bookings

Travel bookings to countries affected by the December 26 tsunami have shown a strong recovery, according to figures from Abacus International.

Booking figures from Abacus also suggest that travellers who have cancelled bookings to the worst affected destinations are switching their bookings to other destinations within Asia Pacific.

In the week following the tsunami (Dec 27-Jan 2), the net number of Abacus bookings (bookings minus cancellations) for Thailand decreased 57.9 per cent over the previous week. Bookings for Sri Lanka were down 73.9% over the same period.

However, travel to both destinations showed a strong rebound in the week ended January 9. In Thailand, Abacus net bookings increased 136 per cent over the previous week (Dec 27 - Jan 2) while Sri Lanka saw an increase of 176 per cent.

Other countries that were affected by the tsunami and are monitored by Abacus - Indonesia, India and Malaysia - saw a slight drop in bookings in the week following the disaster.

Abacus figures also reveal:

· The number of cancellations to affected resort destinations (Penang, Krabi, Langkawi and Phuket) have generally dropped, but net bookings improved in the week January 3-9.

· Gross bookings and net arrivals into China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Pakistan increased during the past two weeks, indicating that many travellers who cancelled bookings to affected areas have switched to other destinations within Asia-Pacific. 

· Cities in impacted countries that escaped the Tsunami waves, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta and Mumbai, have seen an increase in bookings. During the week ended January 9, net bookings to Bangkok increased 89 per cent, Kuala Lumpur increased 95 per cent, Mumbai increased 15 per cent and Jakarta increased 130 per cent over the previous week.

Don Birch, President and CEO of Abacus, said the booking figures confirmed that the impact of the tsunami on travel to affected markets would be short term.

"Already we are starting to see a recovery in affected markets. Travel is incredibly resilient, and we know from experience that recovery time is surprisingly short following a crisis. I am confident that travel to the worst affected destinations will be close to its previous levels within six months," Mr Birch said.

The tsunami was unlikely to have a major impact on economic growth within the region, which is forecast to be 4-6 per cent for the year, Mr Birch said.

"Travel to resorts represents only a small percentage of the 120 million international journeys forecast for next year in Asia-Pacific," he said. "The latest figures also suggest that many leisure travellers are choosing to travel to other destinations in the region while reconstruction work in affected destinations is underway. Indeed, there is a strong movement in many countries to encourage travellers to return as soon as possible to ensure that local economies are not further damaged from the absence of tourists."

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