Comments on: Companies donate to Haiti for PR or to make a difference http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/01/19/haiti-for-pr/ Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:52:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Shannon P. http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/01/19/haiti-for-pr/#comment-159607 Shannon P. Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:25:31 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5736#comment-159607 I think it is ok to publicize that you are helping to make a difference in hopes that other companies will step up to the plate and also send aid. What makes me angry is when Hotel Chains have offers for you to "Donate Your Rewards to Haiti". Why can't hotels just send money out of their own pockets or donate a dollar from every reservation. I would be happy to donate money, through whatever organization, but when hotel chains try to turn a profit by deleting our rewards i draw the line. Raise the prices a few dollars so that you can send extra money, fine by me, but don't try to get over on your customers. I think it is ok to publicize that you are helping to make a difference in hopes that other companies will step up to the plate and also send aid. What makes me angry is when Hotel Chains have offers for you to “Donate Your Rewards to Haiti”. Why can’t hotels just send money out of their own pockets or donate a dollar from every reservation. I would be happy to donate money, through whatever organization, but when hotel chains try to turn a profit by deleting our rewards i draw the line. Raise the prices a few dollars so that you can send extra money, fine by me, but don’t try to get over on your customers.

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]]> By: Hal Peat http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/01/19/haiti-for-pr/#comment-159494 Hal Peat Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:53:31 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5736#comment-159494 @Nick - you are wrong, for several reasons. Where do you get your statistics on "hundreds of tons" of aid, how effectively is this moving to where it's neeeded and how many people can it reach and for how long? So no, a hundred tons might sound like a lot, but when you have 3 million people without basic living essentials and 200,000 dead, what a cruise liner leaves off there on a one-time deal is a drop in the bucket. And they are blowing their horn way too loud over it, exploiting a nightmare situation more for their own glory than making any meaningful difference. Same with other groups in there like the Scientologists, Hank Asher, IsrAid and others who see an opportunity to make good PR for themselves rather than actually helping anyone. For better or worse, it is the governments and established aid organizations that are doing the sustainable work on the ground and will be there in the long term to make a real difference in recovery. I don't even know who you are referring to when you state that "we" are providing aid to Sri Lanka. Your company? Your government? That's fine -- just don't expect to be doing it to receive special awards from the world-wide public or in the media by running it up a PR flagpole. Do it for the real reasons. That's all. People like Christine Gilbert who view a huge human disaster as just another business opportunity and to make good PR out of are disgusting beyond belief. It should happen to their child next -- then they'd be singing a different tune about the wrong and right motives of business. @Nick – you are wrong, for several reasons. Where do you get your statistics on “hundreds of tons” of aid, how effectively is this moving to where it’s neeeded and how many people can it reach and for how long? So no, a hundred tons might sound like a lot, but when you have 3 million people without basic living essentials and 200,000 dead, what a cruise liner leaves off there on a one-time deal is a drop in the bucket. And they are blowing their horn way too loud over it, exploiting a nightmare situation more for their own glory than making any meaningful difference. Same with other groups in there like the Scientologists, Hank Asher, IsrAid and others who see an opportunity to make good PR for themselves rather than actually helping anyone. For better or worse, it is the governments and established aid organizations that are doing the sustainable work on the ground and will be there in the long term to make a real difference in recovery. I don’t even know who you are referring to when you state that “we” are providing aid to Sri Lanka. Your company? Your government? That’s fine — just don’t expect to be doing it to receive special awards from the world-wide public or in the media by running it up a PR flagpole. Do it for the real reasons. That’s all. People like Christine Gilbert who view a huge human disaster as just another business opportunity and to make good PR out of are disgusting beyond belief. It should happen to their child next — then they’d be singing a different tune about the wrong and right motives of business.

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]]> By: Nick http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/01/19/haiti-for-pr/#comment-159492 Nick Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:23:35 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5736#comment-159492 @Hal What I am trying to make clear is there are a lot of companies’ doing this and only a few have made the news. Secondly we talking 100's of tons of aid not a couple of crates. Plus the personnel that are transported free of charge. With regards to the American army it can not handle the flights that need to land. This is a restriction at the airport. So if the airport is full why not use a port that is open and has access to the rest of the country? The news I am watching shows aid agencies getting cross that the army is turning away preapproved non-American aid flights and the fact they are then have to spend days with there aid travelling by road. These are the aid agencies with the personal on the ground both now and before the disaster. So generally they are looking at different ways of getting aid in. Finally as an industry we also stay in for the long haul and an example of this being Sri Lanka where we are still providing aid for those effected by the 1998 tsunami. @Hal

What I am trying to make clear is there are a lot of companies’ doing this and only a few have made the news. Secondly we talking 100′s of tons of aid not a couple of crates. Plus the personnel that are transported free of charge.

With regards to the American army it can not handle the flights that need to land. This is a restriction at the airport. So if the airport is full why not use a port that is open and has access to the rest of the country?

The news I am watching shows aid agencies getting cross that the army is turning away preapproved non-American aid flights and the fact they are then have to spend days with there aid travelling by road. These are the aid agencies with the personal on the ground both now and before the disaster. So generally they are looking at different ways of getting aid in.

Finally as an industry we also stay in for the long haul and an example of this being Sri Lanka where we are still providing aid for those effected by the 1998 tsunami.

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]]> By: Kat http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/01/19/haiti-for-pr/#comment-159483 Kat Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:41:35 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5736#comment-159483 We just wish that help would keep pouring in regardless if its publicized or not. Our prayer goes out to all victims of the Haiti earthquake especially the kids. We just wish that help would keep pouring in regardless if its publicized or not. Our prayer goes out to all victims of the Haiti earthquake especially the kids.

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]]> By: Hal Peat http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/01/19/haiti-for-pr/#comment-159456 Hal Peat Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:28:39 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5736#comment-159456 @"Nick" -- I can hardly even understand what you're trying to say, your English is so awful. If you're saying that several cruise lines were involved, that really doesn't matter and isn't the point at all. Furthermore, no matter what quantity comes ashore at that particular port, they still face the same logistical problems of delivery to the areas of Port-au-Prince and surrounding it that are most affected by the earthquake. If the U.S. army is having problems for over a week establishing a rapid and timely flow of aid from the airport into the city, I hardly think that a couple of crates of donations on a dock somewhere are going to get to where they are needed in a reasonable time. I have read many, many reports from Haiti at this point. Unfortunately, there is more than one party and country trying to captialize on a huge tragedy in ways that are much more helpful to themselves than to the Haitian people. @”Nick” — I can hardly even understand what you’re trying to say, your English is so awful. If you’re saying that several cruise lines were involved, that really doesn’t matter and isn’t the point at all.

Furthermore, no matter what quantity comes ashore at that particular port, they still face the same logistical problems of delivery to the areas of Port-au-Prince and surrounding it that are most affected by the earthquake.

If the U.S. army is having problems for over a week establishing a rapid and timely flow of aid from the airport into the city, I hardly think that a couple of crates of donations on a dock somewhere are going to get to where they are needed in a reasonable time. I have read many, many reports from Haiti at this point.

Unfortunately, there is more than one party and country trying to captialize on a huge tragedy in ways that are much more helpful to themselves than to the Haitian people.

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