University of Washington Graduate Students Plan $1M Mission of Hope to Thailand
A team of graduate students plan to send 1,000 goodwill ambassadors on an urgent ‘Mission of Hope’ to tsunami stricken communities in Southern Thailand. The goal is to inject $1M into the local economy, providing an economic boost to victims of the tsunami and their families who rely on tourism revenue for survival. Details can be found at www.springbreakrelief.org
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) March 12, 2005 -- Beginning March 18, a team of graduate
students from the University of Washington’s (UW) School of Marine Affairs and
Business School plan to send 1,000 goodwill ambassadors on an urgent ‘Mission of
Hope’ to tsunami stricken communities in Southern Thailand. The goal is to
inject $1M into the local economy, providing an economic boost to victims of the
tsunami and their families who rely on tourism revenue for survival.
The
team plans to send goodwill ambassadors from every state to witness history on
an eight-day experience in Thailand. They will tour three communities hit by the
tsunami and will interact with survivors who rely on the tourism industry.
Thanks to participation from Rattana Dutthepnimit, the Managing Director of
Krabi Thai Village Resort, Azumano Travel, of Portland, Oregon (an American
Express Travel Services Representative), and the Pacific Asia Travel Association
(PATA www.pata.org ), this
mission has been granted special airfares and hotel rates to make it very
affordable for college students. The team has also developed materials to assist
students with funding ideas and has arranged for some students to be eligible to
receive academic credit.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for students
from many disciplines to study the effects of a natural disaster while
expressing their solidarity with the victims, providing a much needed economic
boost, and most importantly, personally delivering a message of hope,” said
Benjamin Brigham, the mission’s organizer.
This mission was inspired by
the recent trip taken Feb. 6-18 by Brigham, a Master’s Candidate at the UW
School of Marine Affairs who is studying the effects of the tsunami on the
Tourism Industry. Brigham was invited to join the PATA delegation on the
61-member Flight of Friendship-A Journey to Save Jobs (www.flightoffriendship.com), a mission organized by PATA
member Azumano Travel.
“While groups like NW Medical Teams and Mercy
Corps are doing their best to help victims of the disaster, we must do something
to get people who rely on tourist dollars back to work, helping their families,”
said Sho Dozono, President and CEO of Azumano Travel.
“Without tourists,
many local families are wondering how they and their businesses will make it
until next year,” says Brigham. With current vacancy rates near 90%, Brigham
hopes this mission will help stabilize these popular tourist communities.
According to the Research and Statistics Division of the Tourism Authority of
Thailand, an American tourist contributes $96 per day in tourism revenue, which
suggests that if the team meets their goal of sending 1000 ambassadors, this
‘Mission of Hope’ could generate nearly $1M in tourism revenue for three
communities who desperately need it.
The team plans to have groups
departing each week between March 18 and June 30. Booking information is
available at www.springbreakrelief.org. For more information please call
206.853.1804.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/3/prweb217566.htm