3 weeks after the tsunami, Thailand is issuing a different kind of SOS, for the worlds travelers to please return to Thailand. Read the report from the Bangkok post.
Even as Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga and other affected provinces begin repair efforts following the Dec 26 disaster, tourism authorities agree that the economic impact could only worsen the losses unless travellers returned to the area.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects losses of four billion baht per month over the next several months for the six affected provinces. Economic growth forecasts for the year could be cut to just 5.6% from 6.3% due to the tsunami, with some 200,000 jobs in the tourism sector potentially at risk.
In the first two weeks after the disaster, passenger arrivals at Bangkok International Airport fell 30%, while hotels and resorts across the southern provinces reported huge numbers of cancellations, right at the peak of the travel season.
Foreigners wanting to assist tsunami victims could do best by maintaining their travel plans to the area, according to panelists at a seminar held last Friday titled "After the Tsunami: Reviving the Andaman Coast", hosted by the Bangkok Post and Post Today newspapers.
Panelists at the seminar, co-sponsored by Orient Thai Airlines, Laguna Resort and Hotels, Central Festival Phuket and SF Cinema City, agreed tourism was suffering due to public misconceptions over the scale of the disaster.
Massive international media coverage about the tsunami disaster had led many travellers to believe that the devastation had been worse than reality.
Recovery will depend on a multi-pronged approach to not only change public perceptions, but also improve the overall environment to ensure steady long-term growth, including new zoning and building rules to address previous blights on the tourist landscape.
But the immediate problem was image.
Lee Sutton, marketing director of JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa, issued a plea to the international media to communicate a more accurate picture of Phuket to the world.
Travellers who cancelled trips were only adding to the area's woes, she said, noting that 20,000 travel workers in Khao Lak had already been thrown out of work.
"The easiest and best way for people to help the tsunami victims is to not cancel their trips," Ms Sutton said, adding that JW Marriott, through its worldwide network, would help to promote a positive image for the country.
James Batt, joint managing director of Laguna Resort & Hotels, agreed.
"Coming to Phuket right now is the biggest humanitarian aid they [tourists] can do. To come is to help, and to have fun at the same time," he said.
Operators said that to help maintain occupancy rates, hotels and travel agents were joining together to offer discount packages. But with revenues sharply down from cancellations, many businesses were likely to begin layoffs to curb expenses.
Atipot Srisukhont, managing director of The Cliff Aonang Resort, urged the government to take concrete steps to help restore public confidence in the safety of the region.
Travellers and residents alike were concerned about whether sufficient warning and evacuation systems would be put in place to guard against future disasters.
"Laying off employees and offering discount are not the right ways to solve problems," Mr Atipot said.
"These are some areas where the government has to take action. Businesses can only offer discounts and try their best to take care of their staff."
Mr Atipot recommended that the government bring in international agencies to help tour the region to reaffirm the area's safety.
"Tourists come to seek happiness, not death. And those in search of death won't come to Thailand," he said.
Panomphol Thammachartniyom, president of the Phuket Tour Guide Association, said that while state aid was welcome, local organisations needed to take action.
The guide association, for instance, had set up a volunteer club to help educate the public about tsunamis, rescue techniques and disaster preparedness.
"Local groups can gather to get things done ourselves," Mr Panomphol said.
John Koldowski, director of the Strategic Intelligence Centre at the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said the lesson of the 2002 Bali bombing was the importance of communicating a clear, unified message to the global community.
Indonesian authorities moved quickly after the terrorism incident to communicate a single message, helping restore public credibility and the revival of Bali as a world tourist destination.
"Thailand is moving from crisis management to reputation management. Commonality in information is vital to get the right message across," Mr Koldowski said.
Sethapol Chindanont, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's office in the United States, said businesses should look to develop new market segments to spur recovery.
This could include special packages for people wanting to volunteer to assist in relief efforts, or the development of "tsunami trails" for groups wanting to visit damaged areas, he said.
The TAT was also working with other agencies to draw domestic Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) activities to the area, to help compensate for the expected decline in foreign travel to the south.
"We don't have to push for a hard sell just now. But we can communicate sympathy to international tourists as a soft sell instead," said Mr Sethapol.
Pridi Boonsue, vice president of marketing development and support at Thai Airways International, said the national carrier was supporting the TAT's volunteer tourism concept.
The airline would offer special fares for travellers participating in the programme, he said, and would also draft other special promotions to draw visitors.
"Airlines are sharing the same problems and challenges as hotels and others in the tourism industry," Mr Pridi said.
"The livelihood of the airlines depends very much on everyone else."