Phuket shows signs of bouncing back
By Satish Gupta | eTN Asia
Phuket has made a quicker than expected recovery after being severely hit by the Indian Ocean Tsunami in December 2004. Two years after being hit by the horrifying Indian Ocean Tsunami, Thailand's popular island Phuket is showing signs of flourishing again.
About 4.7 million tourists are projected to visit the southern resort of Phuket in  2006, a jump of 87 per cent from last year, according to a report issued by Kasikorn Research Center (KRC). The Center shared that just 2.51 million people visited Phuket in 2005, in comparison to 4.79 million in 2004. Of these, just 1.32 million were foreign tourists, compared with 3.5 million in the previous year. Tourism income fell by 67 percent as a direct result of the tsunami but there is evidence now that visitors are once again flocking to one of the most breathtaking islands on the planet.
The KRC underlined the fact confidence of foreign tourists has been restored, exemplified by return of foreigners. It also singled out the success of publicity campaigns carried out by the Thai public and private sectors, said the KRC. The economic think tank estimated that Phuket's tourism revenues would reach 62 billion baht (US$1.7 billion) this year, a jump of 120 percent over 2005, of which about 82 percent of the total comes from spending by foreign tourists.
"It is thought that by the end of the year, 4.7 million travellers will have visited the mountainous island, with 3.3 million of these arriving from overseas. While this is still shy of 2004′s total, it suggests that tourism in Phuket is well on the way to complete recovery," reported local media. "The 2004 tsunami threatened to leave the island in dire straits for a number of years, but there are signs that tourism in Phuket is already big business again."
KRC predicted that tourism will continue to recover in Phuket in 2007, when it forecast 5.2 million people will visit the island earning it 74 billion baht (2 billion dollars) in tourism revenues.
When parts of Phuket Island were hit by the Boxing Day tidal in December 2004, it resulted in killing of more than 5,300 people in Thailand's six provinces rimming the Andaman Sea.
As per the information available, in a bid to make Phuket the gateway to the Andaman Sea in 2007, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has mapped strategies on developing tourism on the island as well as areas along the Andaman Sea. Private tourism operators will also adapt their business strategies
December 13, 2006
Posted in: Thailand