The Indian Ocean Tsunami: The Global Response to a Natural Disaster

8: Post-tsunami Recovery in South Thailand, with Special Reference to the Tourism Industry

163 8 Post-tsunami Recovery in South Thailand, with Special Reference to the Tourism Industry David Zurick The Indian Ocean Tsunami tragedy was unprecedented.It prompted worldwide humanitarian relief efforts on a historic scale and mobilized governments to address public and private sector challenges in natural hazard preparedness, public health, infrastructure, and economic recovery. Several years later, many affected communities across the region remain devastated by the disaster. In Thailand, however, where the tsunami was the greatest natural disaster in the country’s history, the recovery has been remarkable. The tsunami hit southwest Thailand along a 400 km (240 mile) stretch of coastline and offshore islands. The affected provinces include Phang Nga, Ranong, Satun, Trang, Krabi, and Phuket—the core of southern Thailand’s tourism industry. The concentration of tourist services and activities near the beaches made them especially vulnerable to the devastation of the tsunami. The fast-growing Khao Lak resort in Phang Nga province,for example,with its string of low-lying beachside bungalows,suffered almost complete destruction. Similarly, on Phi Phi Don, a small island at the mouth of Phuket Bay in Krabi province,where most of the tourism facilities are packed onto a narrow isthmus averaging less than 2 m (6.6 feet) in elevation, the devastation was enormous. The tsunami surged across the isthmus, killing 1,700 persons and destroying 70% of the structures in the tourist center of Ton Sai village. The immediate post-tsunami recovery efforts in Thailand were motivated by basic humanitarian needs felt across the affected region. They focused not 164 David Zurick only on tourists and tourism resorts,but also on the coastal indigenous fishing villages and low-lying agricultural zones, where many people lost their lives or the means of making a living. The tsunami caused major damage to fishing boats (4,300 boats were destroyed in Phang Nga,Krabi,and Phuket provinces), as well as to aquaculture ponds.The waves washed across farmland,destroying crops, uprooting trees, carrying away livestock, and inundating soil with saltwater . The urgent need during the days and weeks following the tsunami was to help the survivors cope with their losses and to account for the victims. The longer-term recovery efforts were designed to rebuild livelihoods and restore crucial infrastructure. In the tourism areas, which contribute substantial revenue not only to the local communities but also to the national economy, the most pressing need was to get the tourism industry back on track as fast as possible (Scott and Laws 2007). The tsunami-affected areas of southern Thailand are located along the Andaman Sea, a region known best for its exquisite natural landscapes and marine resources. Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi provinces have international reputations as tourism destinations. Together, they account for 20% of the total annual tourism revenues in Thailand. Khao Lak in Phang Nga province, the newest of the areas developed for tourism, was hardest hit by the tsunami, with a death toll of over 4,000 (half of whom were foreign tourists) and property damage in excess of U.S.$350 million. The other tourism destinations in southern Thailand suffered varying degrees of damage. The beach resorts on Phuket Island are well established, dating to the early 1980s, and support the highestlevelof commercialmasstourisminthesouthernprovinces.Thesmaller Phi Phi Islands in Krabi province constitute a spectacular cluster of islands accessible only by boat from Phuket or the Krabi mainland. These islands are popular among budget-conscious travelers and backpacking tourists for their crystal-clear snorkeling waters, imposing cliffs, sandy beaches (including the beautiful Maya beach made famous in the Hollywood film The Beach), and budget accommodations. To the east of the Phi Phi Islands, on the mainland of Krabi province, the Rai Ley beaches are popular among young travelers who come to climb the towering limestone cliffs that overhang the ocean or to kayak on the inland waterways. The post-tsunami rebound in tourism in all these areas was speedy, given the scale of the disaster (Rittichainuwat 2006). Their international reputation and the revenue generated from foreign tourists partially explain why the coastal communities here recovered so quickly after the tsunami when the coastlines of many other affected countries remain bleak and depopulated. The success of the post-tsunami recovery in Thailand, however, is attribut- Post-tsunami Recovery in South Thailand 165 able to a constellation of factors, not simply to the motivations of the tourism economy. In fact, many of...