When disaster strikes a country in the form of an epidemic, earthquakes or civil unrest, the devast-ating consequences of the crisis are often compounded by longer- term economic fallout. Many countries count tourism as a key revenue source and – inevitably – tourist visits plummet in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster.

However, a new survey by flights comparison site Skyscanner has revealed that mass media coverage of a negative event may have a positive rebound impact on tourism in the long term.

Over 2,500 travellers res-ponded to the survey which found that over a third (36 per cent) of ­Skyscanner users said that seeing TV and press reports of a country undergoing a natural disaster or other problems raised their ­interest in the country and would actually make them more likely to travel there in future.

Sam Baldwin, Skyscanner travel editor, said: “Skyscanner’s data show that most disasters tend to have only a short-lived impact on visitor numbers. Initially when a country falls victim to a disaster we see a decline in interest as safety concerns are paramount, but medium to long term, interest recovers and the results of this survey show that widespread media coverage can actually have a positive influence on the attitude of potential ­visitors.”