Positive side...

Boscastle

I don’t want to make this blog boring and predictable just by talking about negative consequences of natural disasters. On the contrary, I will try to reflect the issue in a more complex and diverse way. I would like to make my readers think about it from different points of view.

Undoubtedly, we have seen a lot of cases when natural disaster affected the destination in a negative way. But let’s stop for a little bit and think…. Can we assume that natural disaster may bring something positive to a tourism industry of a particular place? May we identify any kind of benefits from it? That is what we will talk about today.

Boscastle's Flood

How many of you have ever heard about Boscastle? It is a small village and fishing port on the north coast of England with a few attractions such as the Museum of Witchcraft and the Boscastle pottery shop. Boscastle suffered from floods several times, but the greatest flood was on 16 August, 2004. People were trapped in houses as the roads turned into rivers; moreover, they were trapped on roofs, in cars, in buildings and on the rivers' banks. Over 100 residents were airlifted to safety but there were no fatalities.

After the flooding, Boscastle was obviously a subject of media attention. The event was reported throughout the flooding and ever since. People came to take pictures of the buildings that were washed away, or to see the temporary accommodation provided for people now homeless. This attraction has increased both: public knowledge of the village and tourist interest.

One year after the 2004 floods tourism began to increase in the area. So many people were visiting the small village that Bed and Breakfast owners were struggling to find proper accommodation for the visitors who were staying over night. Many people would visit Boscastle from other surrounding areas. For example, day visits to the village from other villages or towns such as Camelford, Padstow, Rock and Wadebridge.

Increase of knowledge of this small Cornish settlement, raises income to the settlement. Although day visits may not count as tourism outright, they are clearly helping the village in the way in which tourism does.

Boscastle is a good example of how a place affected by natural disaster can receive a positive impact afterwards as a place of tourist attraction.

Beauty and Attractiveness of Boscastle today (2009)