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| photo credit, Stacey Thorum |
 The Christmas tsunami that devastated parts of 13 countries is, unfortunately,
but predictably, fading into the realm of distant memory for many. The
incredible outpouring of generosity from around the world has gone a long way
toward meeting the immediate emergency needs of the survivors. However, those
that live in the affected regions are just now able to come to grips with the
long-term realities of rebuilding their shattered lives. Indeed, there are
different realities for each country, each locale, and each person, but the
common need for all affected is to return to normal life as quickly as possible.
For at least one affected area—southern Thailand—tourism can play a big part in
the recovery.
When events such as this occur, we as tourism professionals have an obligation
to develop an understanding beyond what is widely reported. The extent to which
tourism will help southern Thailand recover will be largely a function of how
well we understand the facts and disseminate accurate and specific information
to our clients, friends, and associates.
Most casual consumers of the news were left with the impression that much of
Thailand was devastated by the tsunami. Even those that read beyond the
headlines could have easily thought that much of, if not most of, southern
Thailand was heavily damaged. Even relatively well-informed people could have
been left with the impression that all of Phuket, a major south Thailand resort
area, was devastated. The facts are quite different.
“Southern Thailand” encompasses both the east and west coast of a 400-mile long
peninsula. The east coast, including the popular beach resorts and islands of
Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Chumporn, Koh Chang, Koh Samet, Pattaya, and
Hua Hin, was not affected at all.
The west coast was hit, with extensive damage to a few resort areas. But, the
real story is how much was not significantly damaged and how quickly most
resorts have re-opened. It’s also important to note that there was virtually no
long-term damage to any important underlying infrastructure—roads, bridges,
airports— that would affect one’s ability to get around.
There are five major west coast resort areas that were significantly affected—Koh
Lanta, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, and Khao Lak.
 Of these, only Khao Lak, a relatively newly developed resort area, and Koh Phi
Phi, a small island in the mouth of Phuket Bay, were so severely damaged that
the tourism infrastructure will take many months to restore. Remarkably, even on
Koh Phi Phi, there were at least a couple of resorts that were virtually
undamaged.
Kho Lanta and Krabi are, amazingly, open for business as usual with only a few
properties not having re-opened as of this writing.
The 60-mile long island of Phuket requires a closer look. Phuket has ten major
beach areas. Only two of these—Patong and Kamala—sustained significant damage
that has not yet been repaired. Patong is kind of an “everyman’s” tourist beach,
a bit more crowded, commercial, built-up, and tawdry than Phuket’s other
magnificent beaches. Kamala was not a major resort area but did have a couple of
nice properties that were severely damaged. So, that leaves eight of Phuket’s
ten beaches, comprising about 55 of Phuket’s 60 miles of waterfront, that are at
this time, undamaged to any significant extent whatsoever. The website
Phuket.com has a useful property-by-property summary.
All of that said, while arrivals in Southern Thailand are climbing again, they
are still down significantly from what would be expected at this time of year.
The initial cost of the tsunami damage may well end up being less than the
economic cost related to the decrease in tourism. The sad thing is that this
fall off in business is not justified by the facts on the ground.
The fact is that there may be no better time to visit south Thailand. The
beaches are uncrowded, room rates and other prices are down, and the people,
always extremely hospitable, are even more appreciative of your presence. It is
also important to note that Phuket and its offshore islands’ outstanding coral
reefs sustained minimal, if any, damage from the tsunami. So, despite initial
concerns, diving and snorkeling conditions are superb.
Since Thailand’s prime tourist season coincides with the northern winter, the
die for this season is for the most part cast. Most experts believe that with
the exception of Khao Lak, virtually all of the tsunami damage in southern
Thailand will have been repaired by the next high season, which starts in
October. So, travelers contemplating a vacation for next fall should consider
Thailand as a tropical vacation destination.
It is our job as tourism professionals to get the word out about the current
realities of travel to Thailand. Not only will travelers to Thailand have a
superb vacation experience, but they will contribute in a very real way to the
recovery of the affected areas. It’s a rare opportunity to get great value for
vacation dollars and do a tremendous
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