Introduction to “TSUNAMI TOURISM”: notes from Aceh, Indonesia

The 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake with magnitude of 9.0 – 9.3 on the Richter Scale triggered a big tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people all over the world. Aceh (or its full name is Aceh Darussalam province) is the area hardest-hit by the tsunami then which caused the loss of around 170,000 local people and destroyed many buildings and infrastructures. After the tsunami, Aceh become well-known all over the world. The geohazard, however, has inspired Aceh authority and supported by Indonesia government and foreign countries to build some tsunami-related sites such as the Aceh Tsunami Museum, the Tsunami Educational Park, the Tsunami Inundation Monuments, the fishing boat atop a ruined house, and the “Aceh Thanks the World” Memorial Park. The curiosity about the tragedy is driving a new kind of tourism, i.e. tsunami tourism. This paper will expose about the occurrence of the 2004 Aceh earthquake and tsunami, the emergence of tsunami tourism, and the tsunami-related sites. These sites are important not only as the centres of tsunami education and symbolic reminders of the 2004 tsunami, but also as new tourism spots in Aceh.