TravelMole Interview: Nigel Vere Nicoll, chief executive, ATTA
The African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA) is leading calls for a change in the way Foreign & Commonwealth Office country advice is compiled and communicated following the damage that recent warnings have inflicted on Kenya’s tourism industry.
ATTA chief executive Nigel Vere Nicoll believes there should be an advisory panel of representatives from the travel industry at the FCO, with delegates representing continents rather than countries to make the process more manageable.
According to Mr Vere Nicoll 500,000 jobs in Kenya and 13% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product depend on tourism. He argues that while the FCO had a duty to act on intelligence information in order to safeguard its citizens there is a need for a new crisis management strategy to be put in place so that tourism is not needlessly affected.
Mr Vere Nicoll told TravelMole:”What we are saying is we would like there to be an international non-political risk assessment. If there is going to be a warning we need to know in advance so plans can be put into place so you don’t get the hysterical scenario where switchboards are jammed and people are desperately worried about clients and friends.”
He added: ”The experience of Kenya was by no means unique. The impact of specific and non-specific terrorist m threats on countries that depend on tourism is just dire. Places like Britain and the USA can survive and recover from the damage, but emerging markets can’t.”
See this week’s comment by Jeremy Skidmore: Foreign Office advice needs to be clearer
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