Thailand counts cost of quake to tourism

OF THE 12 million tourists who visited Thailand this year, many headed straight to the gems of the south to soak up the sun along tropical beaches, dive on spectacular coral reefs and indulge in a languid, sometimes lascivious, lifestyle.

Now, they’re scurrying away in droves, reeling from a disaster of epic proportions which left five-star resorts and €2-a-night bungalows in ruins and polluted the air with the stench of rotting corpses.

Sunday’s earthquake- powered tidal waves dealt a sharp blow to Thailand’s cash cow - the flourishing tourism industry which collects about a third of its income from the beaches and isles of the Andaman Sea.

As a start, about 1.2 million foreigners are likely to cancel their trips to Thailand, costing the industry €520 million, according to the Association of Thai Travel Agents. Others predict arrivals will fall by as much as two million in coming months.

Losses will be incurred by Thai and some international airlines, hotels and restaurants as well as an army of small-time entrepreneurs catering to tourists, from beach-side noodle vendors to masseuses.

Tourism and Sports Minister Sonthaya Khunpluen estimated some 200,000 workers in the tourism sector, the country’s top foreign exchange earner, were expected to lose their jobs due to the disaster.

“We’re finished. There are no tourists, there are no fishermen,” said Teeraphon Pramong, the owner of a pier north of Phuket who bought an average of one tonne of seafood a day from local fishermen for sale to hotels at the prime tourist area of Khao Lak.

The pier was wiped out, his suppliers are dead and the luxury resorts of Khao Lak have been so devastated that some may never be rebuilt, he said.

Nearby, Choomphon Plaiguam, whose five boats ferried about 100 tourists a day for snorkeling trips to offshore islands, said he would switch to farming if the foreigners stopped coming. He had been fully booked through the New Year’s holiday season, he said, but everyone has cancelled in recent days.

Foreigners also are suffering, including those in the lucrative diving business. The Andaman Sea is a world-class diving destination.

“I have to come back. I have more than €140,000 invested,” said Englishman Steve Goff, standing amid the wreckage of his Barracuda Dive Centre on Phi Phi island. At least three bodies lay in his classroom.

“Even though we can quickly rebuild hotels, it will take some time to draw back tourists,” Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said.

He noted that the ecology which draws tourists to southern Thailand had been severely damaged and popular destinations like Khao Lak and Phi Phi were levelled.

But some voiced optimism, noting that a number of restaurants were already packed a day after the waves struck and that nightlife on Phuket’s Patong beach was throbbing last night.

In stark contrast to apocalyptic scenes, some resort areas remained unscathed or sustained minor damage. The tourism minister said only about 40 of the more than 200 hotels on Phuket Island were damaged.

“Everyone is going to be surprised just how fast the Thais put their restaurants, bungalows and beach bars back up,” said John Everingham, the Australian publisher of Phuket Magazine. “And if tourists realise the next tsunami this size might be 1,000 years away, they might also come back sooner than people think,” he said.

Some tourists, stunned by the tragedy, said they would never return but others said they’re eager to come back, citing the great help received from Thai officials and private individuals, including money, clothes, free flights and hotel rooms on the house.

“The Thai people are incredible,” said Swede Carl Michael Bergman, 40, whose 18-month-old son, Hannes, was reportedly rescued by a Thai princess.

“I have been to Thailand seven times, and this time only confirmed what I know about Thai people - that they are so generous.”