A TOURISM boss has urged people not to shun the south Asian region.
Ian Le-Fevre, Huddersfield-based regional manager of Travelcare, has appealed to holidaymakers not to abandon plans to visit resorts unaffected by the tsunami disaster.
He said that despite the devastation to many resorts and the tragic loss of lives, popular resorts such as Cha Am, Hua Hin and Koh Samui in Thailand and resorts within The Maldives were unaffected.
They now represented a vital source of income for these countries as they begin the process of rebuilding.
Mr Le-Fevre said: "You can't fail to be moved by the speed with which money is being raised to support victims of the tsunami.
"However, all the efforts of fundraisers to help support these countries will be undermined if holidaymakers stay away from unaffected resorts.
"Charity donations are not enough, in the long term, to replace the potential lost income from UK tourists.
"At Co-op Travel and Travelcare we will play our part by ensuring holidaymakers are getting up to date and accurate advice so that they can travel to these countries secure in the knowledge that they will have a safe and enjoyable holiday."
He said that if holidaymakers abandon these resorts completely the impact for the countries could be serious.
"So far the immediate reaction of consumers hasn't been to cancel travel plans simply to select an alternative destination.
"This means we are seeing an increase in the proportion of people selecting western long-haul locations.
"If this trend continues through the key booking period in January and February it will have serious implications for the economies of countries already facing an already tough task recovering from this disaster."
