Reconstruction strategies after the Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan, China

An intensive earthquake, the Wenchuan Earthquake of 8.0 on the Richter scale, struck western Sichuan, China on May 12, 2008. The earthquake significantly affected all industries in the quake-hit areas including local tourism. This paper provides suggestions for reconstruction after outlining findings on the various ways by which the earthquake affected the operations and viability of tourism in the quake-hit areas. This paper is divided into 3 main parts. The first discusses the importance of tourism in the quake-hit areas. The second analyses the impact of the earthquake on tourism in Sichuan from different perspectives. The third is to propose strategies for tourism reconstruction. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.