Tsunami-ravaged city turns tragedy into tourist draw

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh. Today curiosity about the tragedy is driving a new kind of tourism there as the city struggles to make ends meet. On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnituted earthquake triggered a massive tsunami across the Indian Ocean that killed an estimated 230,000 people. Indonesia was the hardest hit. The international response was unprecedented. After the waves rolled back and the aid workers moved on to other disasters, the city of Banda Aceh struggled to build a sustainable economy. But with the devastation came a new opportunity for the city - tsunami tourism. One of the most emblematic images of the tsunami's wrath is the 40-foot fishing boat thrown a couple of miles inland and perched on top the ruins of a house in the northern part of Banda Aceh. Fifty-nine people clung to the boat and waited for the surge to pass. Seven years later, the boat is still in the same place where the tsunami left it. Now there's a viewing platform above the building and tsunami-related photos are on display below in a small gallery. "I think this is awesome," said Ponny, tourist from East Java. He had seen the photos but wasn't prepared for the reality. "Man didn't make this. God made this for us. So this is a miracle." New opportunities Ponny is one of a few thousand of tourists from Indonesia, Europe and Australia who come to the region of Aceh every year. The tourists have created business opportunities for the locals, like the noodle stand underneath the boat where Petriani and her sister sell their homemade wares for less than a dollar. They originally had their shop up the road, but moved it under the boat to accommodate the influx of tourists. "After the tsunami, this place became really well-known. That's why my sister and I took it," she said. "Word of mouth spread quickly, so people know the place and it's easy to find us her." Across the street, Abdul Wahab sells drinks, snacks and souvenirs. He came here from central Sumatra after the tsunami, originally looking to make some money helping with the cleanup. He smiles at his good fortune, but explains that sometimes the sadness of the site makes him embarrassed. "I see people crying before they go up the platform. They remember what it was like here the day before the tsunami," he said. "The villagers prefer to go fishing. They don't want to work here and be reminded of their losses." Economic and emotional recovery And it's not just individual vendors who have noticed the new tourists. About a mile away, the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency built a $6.7 million (5.2 million euro) tsunami museum. It exhibits photographs of victims, stories of survivors and an electronic simulation of the massive undersea earthquake that triggered the 30-foot wave. Officials say more tourists come to see the aftermath of the tsunami than the area's wide, sandy beaches. Local guides offer to take tourists around the wreckage for as little as $50 per day and a small number of companies offer guided tours of the area. Yusny Saby, a professor at the State Institute of Islamic Studies in Aceh, says it's healing despite the morbid overtones. "We call it spiritual tourism," he said. "This is a way of thanking God that we can still survive and build our country." The scars of the tsunami are still not completely healed, but the Acehnese hope they can at least get some benefit from the natural disaster that nearly wiped them out.