Thailand's beach resort recovers after tsunami
15/12/2005 14:58
After a year-long waking up and recovery since last year's tsunami
disaster, bright prospects are foreseen for the tourism industry in Thailand's
most famous southern resort when its accommodation is now back to normal, with
an occupancy rate of about 80 percent during November and December.
The local
tourist industry began to perk up from October, the Thai News Agency quoted
Suwalai Pinpradab, head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket office as
saying Thursday.
She said the number of tourists visiting Phuket is
rising.
"Judging from this tendency," the TAT officer said, "we expect more
than 4 million visitors will travel in Bangkok next year."
Tourism income in
2006 is also expected to rise, she explained, but only slightly, due to higher
costs of living.
Thailand's most famous resort province of Phuket's tourism
industry was badly impacted by the Dec. 26 tsunami is an understatement. On top
of the immediate loss of lives, large numbers of injuries, and destruction of
property, the disaster caused a 90 percent decline in the number of visitors and
a loss of over 35 billion baht (US$875 million) -- or 50 percent of previous
revenue -- compared with 73 billion baht (US$1.825 billion) the provincial
tourism industry generate in the period before the tsunami struck.
Xinhua
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