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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