One month after the tsunami, news from Thailand

One month after the tsunami
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As you probably know, we are based in Thailand, one of the countries
that was directly affected by the tsunami caused by a major underwater
earthquake in the Indian ocean on December 26th.  

Thanks again to everybody who expressed their concern for our safety.
Where we live, Ubonratchathani, is a province in North-Eastern
Thailand, bordering with Laos and Cambodia. We are over 1,000 miles
away from the devastation on Thailand's West coast. All our friends and
relatives are safe and accounted for, and our business is unaffected.

It's heart-warming to see the international relief effort that has been
put in place.  I am sure the various NGO's will put all  donations to
good use.  However, many of the countries affected  by the tsunami rely
heavily  on  tourism to  keep  their economies  healthy.  This  is
particularly true  in Thailand.  The West coast,  which was hit  by the
waves,  is a popular  destination  for tourists from  around  the world.
Phuket, the largest  island off Thailand's west coast is  the best known
and most popular destination in that area.

The situation  in Thailand  is nothing  like the  pictures you  may have
seen on  TV, showing  villages that  were leveled  entirely by  the sea.
Thailand's west  coast is quite mountainous,  which kept the  effects of
the waves  limited to  the immediate  beach or  oceanfront area  in most
places.  In some areas, with steep  cliffs over 10 feet above sea level,
there was no damage at all.

What this region  needs most is for the economy to keep  rolling.  With
many tourists canceling or postponing their trips, many business owners
face difficulties    meeting their obligations    with financial
institutions.  The tourism authority  of Thailand (TAT) reports that 80%
of the hotels  in Phuket are fully operational.  Of the popular tourist
destinations, only Khao Lak and Phi Phi suffered extensive damage.

I'm  sure your  local  travel  agent  will be able  to offer  you  some
excellent last  minute deals for  vacations to Thailand.  Weather-wise,
February is  an excellent  month to  visit.  Now might be  an excellent
opportunity for  a nice tropical vacation.  It'll probably be  the only
chance you'll  ever get  to visit  Phuket in  the high season (November
through February) without being overrun by hordes of tourists.

As  is  often  the  case  with  Nature,  when  something  is destroyed,
something else  is created.  Tourism  officials report that  the natural
environment  around Thailands  west coast  was minimally  affected. In
fact,  some areas  noticeably  improved as  if  the  waves cleansed the
underwater environment.  The water  quality at dives sites around Phuket
and the Similans and Surin islands  reportedly resembles what it used to
be 20 years ago, before mass tourism discovered the area.


Kind regards,
Jan Goyvaerts.