Interviews and surveys of tourism officials and travelers to the Andaman Coast of Thailand found a mixed picture nine months after the December 2004 tsunami that killed more than five thousand people and damaged numerous resorts and hotels. To draw tourists, Thailand assembled a cut-rate "fun package" to encourage tourists to return to the area. A survey of 668 travelers to the tsunami-damaged area found that the discount package had little effect on their decision to travel to the Andaman Coast. Instead, these travelers cited the area's beauty, the residents' welcoming attitude and service, and value for money as the reasons to visit Phuket and vicinity. Morbid curiosity was not among the motivating factors. In deciding to travel to the area, respondents said that they relied heavily on internet information, backed up by the expertise of travel agents and word of mouth. On the other hand, travelers who were avoiding the area were particularly concerned that another tsunami could overtake them. They also said that the knowledge that so many people had died on those beaches made it hard for them to return. Interviews with Thai hoteliers suggested that the fun package was well meant but badly timed, coming too long after the tsunami to save the tourism season and prevent resort closures and layoffs.

A survey of travelers to Thailand's Andaman Coast, now recovering from the December 2004 tsunami, reveals three overall travel motivators, relating to nature (the area's beauty), people (the residents' welcoming attitude), and value for money. Curiosity to see tsunami debris ranked a poor last, and despite Thailand's cut-rate "fun package" promotion, most tourists were neutral toward low-cost tour packages as a reason for their travel. In that regard, hoteliers who were interviewed for this case study believed that low-cost tour packages are ineffective tools for long-term marketing promotion.

Keywords: Thailand tourism; Andaman Coast; travel motivation; December 2004 tsunami

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The tsunami that crashed ashore from the Andaman Sea on December 26, 2004, shocked the world. In Thailand, the tsunami killed 5,395 people, nearly half of them foreign tourists. Beyond the loss of life, the tsunami was a disaster for regional tourism. Immediately after the tragedy, in January 2005, the occupancy rate of hotels in tsunami-affected areas dropped to as low as 10 percent. (1) Many European governments, including those of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, issued advisories to their citizens not to travel to the devastated areas on the Andaman Coast. (2) According to Joseph Tung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the number of people booking holidays in Phuket for the Chinese New Year was down nearly 70 percent compared with the same period the previous year. (3) Many direct flights to Phuket were canceled as tourists traveled instead to other Asian destinations as well as Europe. (4) Juthamas Siriwan, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), commented that during the low season, the tourism-related businesses in the tsunami-affected areas would be badly affected to the extent that they would have to lay off employees because the arrivals of Thai tourists alone would not be enough for them to remain in business. (5)

At this writing more than a year after the tsunami, many local residents and workers have not recovered from the trauma of losing friends and relatives. Several of the beach resorts still have minuscule occupancy rates and revenue, as recovery efforts have been uneven. For example, the hospitality sector of Khoa Lak in Phang Nga Province and Phi Phi in Krabi Province is still struggling to cope with unclear government recovery strategies and scarce funding.

The purpose of this case study is to (1) evaluate the success of the low-cost tour "fun package" that Thailand offered to attract tourists to Phuket, Khao Lak, and Phi Phi; (2) describe how Thailand's hospitality industry has dealt with the aftermath of the tsunami; (3) determine what convinced tourists who did return to do so; and (4) address the progress of disaster recovery.

Although existing writings and case studies have sporadically examined disaster recovery, I know of no empirical study that has assessed the way a tsunami has damaged a region's tourism industry--as has occurred in this case. Little systematic research has been carried out on disaster phenomena in tourism, the effects of such events on the tourism industry, and the responses of industry and relevant government agencies to cope with these impacts. (6) Given that exotic destinations by definition expose tourists to certain levels of risk, (7) research is an essential foundation for assisting the tourism industry and relevant government agencies to learn from past experiences and to develop strategies for avoiding and coping with similar events in the future. (8)

Understanding what motivates tourists to visit tsunami-affected areas would assist destination marketers in maximizing effective use of time, money, and human resources as they design promotional campaigns and tour packages to attract tourists to the tsunami-affected areas. In addition, this study can benefit Phuket, Khao Lak, Phi Phi Island, and Aoa Nang in Krabi by helping to increase more tourist arrivals and tourism revenue.

Theoretical Framework

By nature, a disaster is sudden, relatively unpredictable, and catastrophic. (9) Most disasters are random events with a low probability of recurrence. Even though some can be foreseen, the probability of their occurrence cannot be gauged. In either event, Faulkner suggests that a recovery plan needs to be in place in advance to ameliorate a disaster's effects. (10) Any recovery plan must address tourists' concerns, along with those of local residents. A survey of would-be travelers by Mitchell and Vassos, for instance, found that natural disasters (such as an earthquake) and political unrest or military trouble were ranked as the most serious possible incidents that could occur during a tourist holiday. (11) Disaster-recovery strategies depend on the extent of damage, the probability and frequency of recurrence, and the adaptability of the affected community. (12) With regard to tourist destinations, the speed of the destination's recovery depends on the degree to which marketing-communication plans have been integrated with disaster-management strategies. (13) Moreover, since perceived risk and risk reduction vary between countries, marketers must examine consumers' methods of assessing risk on a nation-by-nation basis. (14)

Six Months after the Tragedy

In response to plummeting occupancy, policy makers and travel and tourism suppliers developed a price-driven marketing strategy under the campaign "Lodtangkoh Sanuktangmuang," or "fun package." The idea behind the fun package was that discounting was necessary to attract tourists to the devastated areas. The TAT, the Association of Domestic Travel (ADT), and five domestic airlines launched the low-price fun package, which offered roundtrip air, two-night accommodations with breakfast and ground transfers between the airport and hotel at a price of 3,200 to 5,500 baht (US$39 to $141, at the time of this writing). We interviewed TAT and other tourism officials regarding this program, with the results that follow.

Effort of the TAT

According to Khun Satit Nillwongse, executive director of TAT's marketing services department, TAT organized familiarization trips for both domestic and international news reporters and for travel writers; encouraged meeting, incentive, convention, and exhibition (MICE) groups to hold meetings in tsunami-affected areas; and launched recovery packages, such as "Andaman Recovery," bearing the slogan "Andaman Smiles Again," and the fun package. Subsequently, Phuket was awarded the Star of Travel Award for Best Destination in Southeast Asia at the Moscow International Tourist and Travel Exhibition (MITT 2005) because of this aggressive marketing campaign.

Regarding domestic tourism, Khun Chaisong Churitt, director of TAT's domestic markets promotion department added that "the Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched duty-free shopping for Thai residents who stay at least a night in Phuket, Phang Nga, or Krabi to stimulate the Thai domestic market. However, domestic tourists still worry about safety measures, disease, and ghosts." With regard to the last issue, many Asian residents believe that when a person dies, a relative has to bury, cremate, or bless the dead person. If this is not done or the body is not found, the belief is that the deceased will appear over and over again to let relatives know its location so that the body can be found and religious rites performed. (15) With those concerns, Churitt's organization had to work hard to bring back both domestic and international tourists; for example, TAT worked with the government to implement safety measures, redesign the zoning of tourist facilities and services, and improve the tourist infrastructure.

Feedback from Hotels and Tourism Partners

Khun Narong Suthipongpitarn, manager of Thai Hotels Association (THA), confirmed that THA members in the Andaman region have suffered from the lack of tourist arrivals. Although international tourists were coming to Thailand, most chose other destinations, such as Pattaya, Hua Hin, Cha-am, Koh Chang, and Rayong, rather than the Andaman Coast. In addition to the tsunami damage, this region was suffering from the manmade problem of inaccurate news reporting. Suthipongpitarn explained that "the tsunami destroyed only 10 percent of Phuket, mostly beach areas; these areas have already been cleaned up. However, distorted reporting was causing more damage to Phuket than the tsunami itself. Because of inaccurate reporting, many workers in the tourist trade and allied industries have lost their jobs as foreign tourists are staying away from these places." After the tsunami, the association has participated in road shows and travel trade shows in several markets to communicate to overseas travel suppliers and media reporters that Thailand is safe and is fully prepared to welcome international travelers.

Likewise, Francois Quenault, a member of the committee of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), commented that ATTA members have to build confidence among overseas agents, media, and local associations that Thailand is safe. Quenault added, "Although price is important in choosing a destination, tourists are still concerned with safety and security issues, especially the North American, European, and Japanese markets. In addition, six months after the tsunami, Chinese inbound tourist arrivals dropped by 50 percent. It has been difficult to promote the Andaman Sea tourist attractions after the tsunami." Therefore, the agencies have been forced to suggest alternative venues, such as Hua Hin, Cha-am, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Koh Samet, Koh Chang, Chiang Mai, and the Golden Triangle.

However, Khun Somchai Chomraka, former president of the Association of Domestic Travel, said that the fun package motivated a number of tourists, who perceived that the tsunami-affected areas had recovered. In addition, the tourists were aware that the Thai government had promptly installed a tsunami warning system that meets international standards. He agreed that "the major obstacle deterring domestic tourists to visit is fear of ghosts."

Nine Months Later

Nine months after the tsunami, my students and I interviewed nineteen inbound and domestic tour operators and travel agents who offered the fun package, to learn the demographic profile of tourists and to hear feedback from their customers. We learned that the tourists who purchased tour packages and air tickets to Phuket typically were middle- to high-income family travelers, office workers, and incentive travelers aged twenty to thirty-nine years. Equal proportions of men and women visited. The tour operators' and travel agencies' clients originated in Europe, East Asia, South Asia, and Thailand. As indicated above, the major travel constraints were fear of ghosts, disease stemming from any remaining undiscovered corpses, an incomplete tsunami warning system (20 percent complete at the time of our interviews), the perception that the cost of living in Phuket had increased since the tsunami, the perception that renovation of hotels and resorts was incomplete, and the small number of weekend flights. At root, many tourists were still afraid of another tsunami.

Most of the tour operators and travel agents (n = 18) averred that they would not overlook safety and security even if the travel costs were low. Two agents feared that a tsunami would happen again, and six agents set the odds at 50 percent that another tsunami would strike. In that regard, neither tour operators nor travel agencies were entirely confident about aftershocks and another tsunami. They noted that a warning about the possibility of another tsunami in April 2005 deterred many tourists from traveling to Phuket and vicinity.

Their marketing promotion was done through direct mail, fam trips for overseas tour operators, and advertisements in newspapers, on television and Web sites, and via e-mail. Eight of the agents believed that low-cost tour packages would attract tourists to visit Phuket but felt that the government must increase safety standards by completing the tsunami warning system as soon as possible. Moreover, they pointed out the necessity of focusing on quality, especially for inbound tourists. However, according to domestic travel agencies, most. Thais were not buying the fun package because it was available only in the rainy season, when most clients were not free to travel, and was not offered during school holidays or long holidays, when more families would be free to travel.

Reactions of Tourists

Since most tour operators said that tourists had changed their itineraries from Phuket to Pattaya, I visited Pattaya from July 12 to 15, 2005, and from October 2 to 5, 2005, and conducted unstructured interviews with fifty-seven international leisure tourists at GEM Galleria, one of the largest jewelry shops in Pattaya, and at a pier for a speedboat to Koh Lan from Pattaya. During the July visit, I acted as a tour guide for a visiting-spouse program, so that I could use participating observation.

I found that the European tourists chose Pattaya rather than Phuket in large part because they were waiting for the completion of the promised tsunami alert system. Moreover, they were unsure about water sanitation and seafood quality in Phuket, where many dead bodies were found in the sea. In that regard, they felt uncomfortable about enjoying themselves in the sea where so many people had died. Tourists explained that travel advisories from their governments and negative publicity had discouraged them from traveling to the tsunami-affected areas. Based on news reports, first-time travelers to Thailand (who were thus unaware of Phuket's geography) thought that the whole island of Phuket had been damaged by the tsunami.

My informal discussions with Asian tourists (i.e., from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan) revealed that they did not go to the tsunami-affected areas due to their being bad-luck locations and that bad luck would follow them home if they saw ghosts there. They had read a news report of ghosts wandering the Phuket area. Thus, they changed their Chinese New Year plans to destinations (particularly, Pattaya) that they considered more appropriate than Phuket, which they considered too sad a place for New Year celebrations. The reasons they returned to Thailand at all were the attractive tour promotions and the recommendations of tour operators promising a good deal on tour packages.

Survey Result

My research assistants and I surveyed tourists visiting the Andaman Coast of Thailand. We obtained responses from 544 tourists who stayed in Phuket, 53 tourists from Phang Nga, 46 tourists from Phi Phi Island, and 25 tourists from Aao Nang. In total, the 668 completed questionnaires that we received out of 1,000 questionnaires distributed yielded a response rate of 68 percent.

I should note the limitations of this survey. Most of the tourists who participated were staying in Phuket, whereas the sample size of tourists from Phang Nga and Krabi was relatively small. (Several hotels were not open when we conducted the survey.) As with any survey, care must be taken in interpreting the results. The people who did not participate in the survey may have different ideas.

More than half of the respondents were repeat travelers, and most were on holiday (Exhibit 1). About 48 percent usually stayed in luxurious hotels, followed by 20 percent who checked in at midprice hotels, 12 percent who were visiting relatives, 8 percent staying at budget hotels, and 6 percent in guest houses.

Evenly divided between genders, the respondents stayed an average of ten days. More than half were between twenty and thirty-nine years old, married, and holders of college or graduate degrees. Most of the tourists were from Australia, Scandinavia, Thailand, or the United Kingdom. On average, respondents reported a monthly income of US$7,628.

As shown in Exhibit 2, the three chief reasons that these tourists gave for visiting the tsunami-affected areas were nature, people, and good value for money. Evaluating those three categories, I found that the top-eleven motivators were good climate, relaxing atmosphere, beauty of nature, friendliness of the local people, service-minded people, interesting culture, good value for money, variety of foods, images of the Thais helping foreigners during the tsunami, high quality of hotels and resorts, and helping local people to recover from the disaster. The least-cited reason was curiosity to see damaged areas and debris. Although they sought value for money, most of these tourists were neutral toward the fun packages. That is, neither Westerners nor Asians stated that the low-cost tour packages affected their decision to visit the Andaman Coast.

Looking at Exhibit 3, I note that safety and security are important. The tourists thought that a safe environment, installation of the tsunami warning system, and adequate security checks at the airport also motivated their visit. Interviews with tourists and hotel executives revealed that few of the visitors expected another tsunami. Moreover, they perceived that the tsunami-affected areas were safe from terrorism and political unrest.

The Internet was the top information source for these travelers, as shown in Exhibit 4. Web-based information was followed by that from family, friends, relatives, travel agencies, and travel brochures. This list suggests that promotions would be cost effective through hotels' online reservation engines and Web sites. Worthwhile information on the Web would highlight the area's strongest characteristics, as cited above, including relaxing atmosphere, friendliness of the local people, and good value for money. At the same time, marketers should emphasize the hospitality of local people and hotel staff, given the three other points that drew positive attitudes from the tourists, namely, hotel quality, service-minded staff, and culture and foods.

Even with the importance of the Internet, word of mouth remains important, as do travel agencies, which were right behind family, friends, and relatives as information sources. Travel agencies particularly influenced the first-time travelers who responded, specifically honeymoon couples who were unfamiliar with the destination. It is worth noting that first-time tourists tended to rely on travel agencies in arranging their accommodations. Many repeat travelers also worked with travel agents because those travelers could purchase packages that gave them a better price and more convenience than if they made their own arrangements. Therefore, in addition to delivering service that results in favorable word of mouth, hoteliers should maintain a good relationship with travel agencies.

Left out as a source of positive information are the mass media. This study shows that few tourists used TV, magazines, newspaper, hotels, travel trade shows, radio, airlines, or credit cards in planning their trip.

Management Implications: Price Promotions Did Not Help

Perhaps the most surprising finding of this survey is the weak influence of Thailand's price-based promotion. The tourists were neutral toward the low-cost fun package. Instead, the tourists were attracted to Phuket's value, nature, and people. Even in the severely hit destination of Khao Lak, low-cost tour packages did not particularly help attract tourists. Indeed, hotel executives commented that discounting was not their strategy to bring business back, but instead, they relied on their aggressive marketing campaign with overseas travel agencies, advertising on the Internet, and word of mouth, backed up by support from loyal guests who returned to the hotel after the tsunami. The survey results, interviews, and my observations all suggest that providing discounts is not always a good strategy--especially in the absence of marketing information that indicates a need for price cuts.

As described in Exhibit 2, low-cost tour packages were ranked nearly at the bottom of the list of travel motivators. This implies that the Lodtangkoh Sanuktangmuang (the fun package) was a force in attracting neither hotel-based tourists nor backpackers to the tsunami-affected areas. Likewise, hotel managers confirmed that the low-cost tour packages were not the primary reason for their guests' visits. For example, Khun Eiam Thavornvongwongse, chairman of Phuket Chamber of Commerce, said, "A low-cost tour package would be necessary during the first few months after the tsunami when the occupancy rate was so low. At that time, hoteliers needed income to run the operation. However, the launch of the low-cost tour package six months after the disaster was not helpful, when several hotels had been closed and employees had been laid off." He also said that "several hotels in Phuket have been overbooked since November 2005 because of aggressive marketing efforts, such as road shows and the support from tour operators and loyal guests, but not from the low-cost tour package."

On Phi Phi, Khun Chao Treenawongse, general manager of Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort and Spa agreed, saying, "Although hotels in Phi Phi Island have not recovered as fast as those in Phuket, low-cost tour packages are not the marketing tool." Treenawongse suggested that most of the tourists who went to Phi Phi Island, who were from Australia, Europe, and South Africa, preferred to stay on the quiet beach of Phi Phi, enjoying its natural charms and supporting the local residents there. Most Thai tourists, on the other hand, are excursionists who spend only one day on the island. Likewise, low-cost tour packages were not an important factor of tourists who visited Khao Lak in Phang Nga.

Safety First

The importance of safety and security cannot be ignored. The tsunami called attention to the weakness of Thailand's disaster warning system and the responsibility of the Thai government to the lives of tourists and local residents. Despite safety concerns, hoteliers did not seem confident in the tsunami warning system and are reluctant to install such a system in guestrooms.

Based on a quote from Thai press reports, Smith Dharmasaroja, chairman of the Committee for the National Disaster Warning Administration, said that "hotels are investing billions of baht to rebuild, but they don't want to spend some 500,000 baht more to buy a small warning system and rink into the government system to warn their guests because there was no legal requirement to do so." (16) Dharmasaroja is noted for making the prediction in 1998 that southern Thailand was under threat of a tsunami, and he was at the time severely criticized by the government for scaring tourists. One problem he cites with the tsunami warning system is the doubt on how to use it. Dharmasaroja continued, "The government's installing a system is a waste if the public still does not have knowledge about the system, and there is no party assigned to educate people on how the system works."

In my conversations with hotel executives, I found that they were concerned about false alarms. They wanted to evaluate the efficiency of the system to ensure that it would not annoy guests when there is no disaster. For example, in mid-December, an early warning system, which was directed from the national center and installed on some beaches, had gone off accidentally. Worse, foreign tourists heard the siren but had no idea what it was or what to do because they had received no instructions. Given doubt created about this false alarm, most hotels just have rehearsals, fliers, and signs and information in each guest room to inform guests about the tsunami warning system.

Who Has Recovered?

The tsunami's fallout was not felt equally by all markets, and not all markets have recovered to the same extent. Phuket hotels have experienced a strong recovery since November 2005, for instance, with several of its four- and five-star hotels overbooked. Indeed, when I visited Phuket nine months after the tsunami, I saw no sign of damage. Beaches such as Patong, Kata, and Karon were as crowded as ever. An additional lesson is that local residents learned how important tourism is as an emotional component of their lives. In contrast, Khao Lak and Phi Phi did not recover as fast as Phuket did. Those islands' slow recovery can be attributed not only to the severe damage but also to the government's murky and delayed recovery strategy. Phi Phi Island, however, had experienced land-use problems even before the tsunami, which made a bad situation worse by accelerating revenue decline.

Moreover, based on our observation and interviews with restaurant owners in severely hit Khao Lak, most hotels are not yet open at this writing due to changes of ownership and restructuring programs. International travelers were there as volunteers to help the destination to recover.

Lessons Learned

I found that many tourists stayed away from Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga after the tsunami. Low prices on travel packages could not offset travelers' concerns for personal safety. Whereas the Western tourists who went elsewhere were concerned about the incomplete tsunami warning system and disease, the Asian tourists were afraid they would encounter the ghosts of those who were lost. As a consequence, many Asian travelers changed the location of their New Year holiday from the Andaman Coast to other destinations. This study supports the findings of Sonmez and Graefe, which indicated that risk or safety concerns are of paramount importance in tourists' decision-making process because those concerns can alter rational decision making as it pertains to travel modes and choice of destination. (17)

The Thai government realized that it needed to address travelers' concerns. To convince Asian tourists that the tsunami-affected areas are now free of ghosts, the Thai government has organized religious ceremonies to put the spirits to rest. To build confidence in safety among Western tourists, the Thai government has installed the tsunami warning system in Phuket. Although the system is not yet completed, it should ensure tourists that a certain level of safety and security has been achieved.

Media Made a Difference

Amid the good news, a major obstacle in rebuilding tourist confidence was negative travel advisories. I found that negative travel advisories have influenced tourists to stay away from Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga, even though the situation has returned to normal. Although many of the tourist developments, infrastructure, and facilities in those areas have been restored, the destinations are still perceived as unsafe to visit. It is hard for potential tourists to believe that tsunami damage affected a limited area and that many locations untouched by the tragedy are now available for visits.

Although advertising did not influence tourists' travel decisions, the media are clearly critical in influencing tourists' overall attitudes toward a destination. The media can create negative images that exacerbate perceived risk. As a result of media coverage, perceived risks associated with the destination could actually outweigh the real conditions and affect the decisionmaking process, causing whole regions to be unduly perceived as risky. (18)

Lessons Learned from the Tragedy

Maintaining a flow of accurate information is key in recovering from a disaster of this kind. Government must cooperate with national and international governing bodies in sharing information about disasters to tourists and increase the efficiency of safety and security measures at the location. Issuing warnings about the possible occurrence of a natural disaster is essential to saving the lives of tourists and local residents alike (Exhibit 5). However, media must also be responsible for the consequences of overstated warnings and news items that could create a permanent negative image regarding the risk of visiting a particular destination. It is necessary to balance the positive and negative news. When the risks have disappeared, news reporters are responsible for accurately reporting this information. At the same time, tourism officials should provide the media and the public with consistent and up-to-date information about the tsunami recovery, so that the media can, in turn, provide positive, accurate information about the affected areas. Tourists who do visit can also help the disaster-affected areas to recover by sharing their experiences (not to mention spending their money).

Furthermore, fam trips for travel agents, meeting planners, news reporters, and travel writers help overcome agents' reluctance to book business. The recovered destinations need help from hotels, airlines, and tourism suppliers to convince tourists to visit these places.

How about the Future?

Tourist destinations can recover from even a severe natural disaster, as long as whatever caused the disaster--and especially any loss of life---does not recur. In that regard, the Thai government has to increase safety and security standards to resolve travelers' safety concerns. In addition, tourism recovery depends on the efficiency of tourism partners to repair their facilities and an effective marketing message that clearly confirms that the destination is once again open and ready for business. (19)

Life Must Go On

The immediate and long-term effects of the tsunami on local residents, tourists, and the industry as a whole speak for themselves. Yet, even as the first anniversary has passed, the devastating effects of the tsunami will be felt much longer than simply a year or two. With time, the travel industry in Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi will recover. However, the memories of the December 26, 2004, tsunami will remain (Exhibit 6). In particular, the heroism and hospitality of the Thais who helped foreigners to escape from death on that fateful day are legendary and have created a positive image of Thailand.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

A Snapshot from Holiday Inn Resort Phuket

While managers in many hotels were forced to lay off employees, the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket kept people on the payroll through job sharing. Both employees and managers manifested the spirit of cooperation to limit the number of layoffs. To ensure that employees would be ready to meet high service standards when guests returned to the property, the hotel gave training to its staff. Therefore, when the hotel did reopen, it experienced few problems with a shortage of qualified staff. On the contrary, the hotel staff was better qualified after the training. My survey showed that respondents rated the Holiday Inn Resort and Spa Phuket very high on friendliness, service-mindedness, and quality of the hotel.

What Is a Tsunami?

Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning "harbor wave." It now refers to a series of waves traveling across the ocean with extremely long wavelengths--up to 100 miles between wave crests in the deep ocean. (a) When these waves approach shore, their speed decreases, but the height of the wave drastically increases. (b) As the waves strike shore they may inundate low-lying coastal areas, resulting in mass destruction and, in many instances, loss of life. Once generated, a tsunami wave in the open ocean can travel with speeds greater than 500 miles an hour, meaning that these waves can travel across the Pacific Ocean in less than one day. A locally generated tsunami can reach coastlines in just minutes.

(a.) Pacific Tsunami Museum, "Frequently Asked Questions about the Tsunami," http://www.tsunami.org/faq.htm (accessed March 3, 2005).

(b.) Ibid.

Preliminary Study

My students and I made a preliminary study about the impact of the tsunami on Thailand's tourism industry. From August 14 to September 12, 2005, we conducted in-depth structured interviews with nineteen inbound tour operators and travel agencies that participated in the "fun package" to Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga. (a) We also interviewed policy makers of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai Hotels Association, the Association of Thai Travel Agents, and the Association of Domestic Travel. (b) We asked the following questions: What are the recovery strategies of your organization to attract tourists to the tsunami-affected areas? Would tourists overlook personal safety if the price of the tour package is low? What are the demographic profiles of tourists who bought the fun package? What is the feedback on the fun package?

(a.) S. Pathja, H. Xiaoyu, K. Kongtup, D. Chhugani, C. Bunsom, and K. Poorahong, "Tourist Destination Development Project" (Unpublished presentation, International Program in Hotel and Tourism Management, Siam University, 2005).

(b.) P. Thongpila, S. Suthamwutinan, and W. Philajun, "Tourist Destination Development Project" (Unpublished presentation, International Program in Hotel and Tourism Management, Siam University, 2005).

Method

In addition to drawing feedback from a purposive, snowball sample of tourism suppliers and policy makers in Bangkok and a convenience sample of leisure tourists in Pattaya, I conducted face-to-face interviews with the chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce and a manager of a hotel in Phuket as well as telephone interviews with two general managers of hotels in Krabi. Based on the results of the interviews, I developed a questionnaire containing three sections: tourist behavior, travel motivation to visit the tsunami-affected areas, and demographic profile. In constructing the questionnaire, I used previous studies and news reports. Before delivering the self-administered questionnaire, I asked a panel of experts who are hospitality industry and marketing faculty members to evaluate its content validity. A pilot test was given to thirty tourists at a beach resort in Phuket between October 19 and 23, 2005, to test the reliability of the questionnaire. I wrote the questionnaire in English and had it translated into Thai and Chinese. To test the translation, two native speakers made back translations. Rather than survey travel intentions, the target population was the international travelers who visited Phuket, Khao Lak in Phang Nga, and Phi Phi Island in Krabi after the tsunami.

Data collection took place during the peak season, from December 20, 2005, to February 6, 2006, a time that included Christmas, the first tsunami memorial day, the international New Year, and Chinese New year. A survey at this time was intended to gain knowledge about holiday-time tourists. The data collection consisted of two stages. First, a single cluster sampling was used to randomly select fifteen hotels and resorts in Phuket, Khao Lak, Phi Phi Island, and Aao Nang. The sampling frame was derived from the Tourism Authority of Thailand Web site, which showed the six Andaman provinces hit by the tsunami. Five hotels in Khao Lak and Phi Phi declined to participate in the survey because they were not yet in operation. General managers of the selected hotels wrote an invitation letter to their guests to participate in the survey with a drawing for a 500 baht meal as an incentive. Also, general managers of the selected hotels had their hotel staff distribute and collect the questionnaires. Stage 2 was the data collection at guesthouses, bus terminals, and (to obtain responses from backpacking tourists) a station for buses that run between Phuket and Phang Nga. A systematic random sampling was used to ask tourists to fill in the survey. Four bilingual research assistants administered the survey in English, Thai, or Chinese.

Concurrently, from January 28 to February 1, 2006, and on February 20, 2006, my students and I went to Phuket and Khao Lak to conduct thirty-minute, structured interviews with a purposive, snowball sample of managers of hotels, proprietors of souvenir shops, restaurant owners, an officer of Khao Lak National park, and taxi drivers at Patong, Kata, Karon, and Naiyang beaches. The combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches provides us with a clearer and broader picture of tourists' motivations regarding the tsunami-affected destinations and the extent of the tsunami's impact on the local community.

I thank those participating in the survey as follows: Divya Chhugani, Nuttapon Ninsonti, and Wanida Suknin for their extensive field surveys and data collection in Phuket and Phang Nga; and Patcharapol Thongpila, Suchada Suthamwutinan, Sonal Patheja, Han Xiaoyu, Khajeewan Kongtup, Chalinee Bunsom, Kitikun Poorahong, Araya Suphavanichjaturapoom, Angkanum Aiempipat, Natcha Lertnuanjan, Pornpan Tanasingsawad, and Yanwara Pringpread for their field survey in Bangkok.

Endnotes

(1.) Business Day, "Tourist Sector Wins 3.65BN Baht Budget" [Electronic bulletin board], February 24, 2005, http://www.tatgovernor.com/ tatgoveruor/govcorner.aspx?id=251 (accessed September 24, 2005).

(2.) N. Intarakomalyasut, "TAT to Submit Plan for Revival Tomorrow" [Electronic bulletin board], January 26, 2005, http://www.tatgoveruor .com/tatgovernor/govcorner.aspx (accessed September 25, 2005).

(3.) Thai Press Reports, "Thai Tourism Officials Ask Media Not to Report on Tsunami Ghosts," Global News Wire-Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, Final Times Information, January 28, 2005.

(4.) Ibid.

(5.) Ibid.

(6.) Ibid.

(7.) B. Faulkner, "Towards a Framework for Tourism Disaster Management," Tourism Management 22, no. 2 (2001): 135-47.

(8.) Ibid.

(9.) Ibid.

(10.) Ibid.

(11.) V. W. Mitchell and V. Vassos, "Perceived Risk and Risk Reduction in Holiday Purchases: A Cross Cultural and Gender Analysis," Journal of Euro-Marketing 6, no. 3 (1997): 47-79.

(12.) Faulkner, "Towards a Framework," 135-47.

(13.) Ibid.

(14.) Mitchell and Vassos, "Perceived Risk," 47-79.

(15.) S. Berger, "Villagers in Terror of Victims' Ghosts" The Daily Telegraph, January 15, 2005.

(16.) Thai Press Reports, "Thailand Executive Says Hotels in Tsunami-Hit Area Still Unprepared for Another Disaster," January 5, 2006, Global News Wire-Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, Final Times Information.

(17.) S. Sonmez and A. R. Graefe, "Influence on Terrorism Risk on Foreign Tourism Decisions," Annals of Tourism Research 25 (1998): 112-44.

(18.) S. Sonmez, "Tourism, Terrorism, and Political Instability," Annals of Tourism Research 25 (1998): 416-56.

(19.) J. Durocher, "Recovery Marketing: What To Do after a Natural Disaster," Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 35, no. 2 (April 1994): 66-71.

Bongkosh Ngamsom Rittichainuwat, Ph.D., is program director and assistant professor of the International Program in Hotel and Tourism Management at Siam University, Thailand (ngamson@hotmail.com).The author gives special thanks to secretariesYaowanart Jantrakul and Namon Aphinram for arranging interviews and coding and to her students, listed in the procedure-based Exhibit 3. She further acknowledges Khun Eiam Thavornvongwongse and Khun Chao Treenawongse for their input regarding the questionnaire designs and support for the data collection. Thanks are also given to Khun Wolfgang Meusburger, Khun Asnee Kankaew, and Khun Robert Frei, for supporting the data collection. Dr. Pornchai Mongkhonvanit and vice presidents of Siam University are acknowledged for funding this research. Finally, she gives appreciation to Michael Sturman, editor, for his suggestions concerning this article.

Exhibit 1:
Travel Behavior

Number of visits                  Frequency     Percentage

First time                           295             45
Repeat travelers                     368             55
Total                                663            100
Purpose of visit
Vacation                             519             78
Business                              47              7
Vacation and business                 46              7
Honeymoon                             20              3
Visiting friends/relatives            18              3
Other                                 12              2
Total                                662            100

Exhibit 2:
Travel Motivation

Attributes                                                   M      SD

Good climate                                                4.39   0.81
Relaxing atmosphere                                         4.39   0.80
Beauty of nature                                            4.34   0.82
Friendliness of the local people                            4.22   0.85
Service-minded people                                       4.13   0.87
Interesting culture                                         4.12   0.89
Good value for money                                        4.07   0.88
A variety of foods                                          4.06   0.94
Image of the Thais helping foreigners during the tsunami    4.02   0.96
High quality of hotels/resorts                              4.02   0.92
Help local people to recover from the disaster              4.01   0.98
Safe environment                                            3.85   0.93
New travel experience                                       3.78   1.11
Easy access                                                 3.64   1.01
Installation of tsunami warning system                      3.54   1.14
Adequate security check at the airport                      3.54   0.99
Curiosity to see the improvement/debris of the disaster     3.28   1.33
Low-cost tour package                                       3.19   1.04
Curiosity to see the wreckage/debris of the disaster        2.40   1.34

Exhibit 3:
Travel Demographics

Gender                                  Frequency    Percentage

Male                                        340            52
Female                                      313            48
Total                                       653           100
Age group
  Less than 20 years old                     28             4
  20-29 years old                           149            23
  30-39 years old                           188            28
  40-49 years old                           151            23
  50-59 years old                            99            15
  60 years and older                         45             7
  Total                                     660           100
Marital status
  Single                                    219            34
  Married                                   405            62
  Divorced                                   19             3
  Widowed                                     9             1
  Total                                     652           100
Occupation
  Other (not identify)                      142            22
  Office worker                             111            17
  Entrepreneur                              103            16
  Teacher/professor                          51             8
  Student                                    51             8
  Sales                                      50             8
  Technician                                 46             7
  Government officer                         32             5
  Retired/unemployed                         29             4
  Housewife                                  29             4
  Building constructor                        4             0.6
  Self-employed                               2             0.3
  Finance                                     1             0.1
  Writer                                      1             0.1
  Nurse                                       1             0.1
  Total                                     653           100
Education level
  Primary/middle school or below             53             8
  Secondary/high school graduate            212            33
  College/university graduate               259            41
  Graduate/postgraduate                     112            18
  Total                                     636           100
Country of Residence
  Scandinavia                               160            24
  Thailand                                  138            21
  United Kingdom                             71            11
  Australia                                  70            11
  Other                                      47             7
  Germany                                    31             5
  China                                      21             3
  United States                              19             3
  The Netherlands                            16             2
  Switzerland                                11             2
  Italy                                      11             2
  Japan                                      10             2
  France                                      9             1
  Hong Kong                                   8             1
  Russia                                      6             0.9
  Taiwan                                      5             0.7
  Singapore                                   5             0.7
  Austria                                     5             0.5
  South Africa                                3             0.4
  Estonia                                     3             0.4
  Malaysia                                    2             0.3
  New Zealand                                 2             0.3
  Belgium                                     2             0.3
  Ireland                                     2             0.3
  Pakistan                                    1             0.1
  Bulgaria                                    1             0.1
  Philippines                                 1             0.1
  Poland                                      1             0.1
  Turkey                                      1             0.1
  Total                                     662           100.0

Exhibit 4:
Source of Travel Information

Attributes                         M         SD

Internet                          3.83      1.27
Family friends relatives          3.79      1.31
Travel agencies                   3.49      1.32
Travel brochure                   3.32      1.25
TV                                2.86      1.40
Other                             2.86      1.37
Magazines                         2.83      1.34
Newspaper                         2.74      1.39
Hotels                            2.66      1.36
Travel trade shows                2.53      1.32
Radio                             2.29      1.33
Airlines                          2.27      1.27
Credit cards                      2.17      1.26

Exhibit 5:
Tsunami Death Tolls

Provinces           Death Tolls

Phang Nga                 4,225
Krabi                       721
Phuket                      279
Ranong                      159
Satun                         6
Trang                         5
Total                     5,395

Source: Tsunami Memorial Park, Bann Nam Kem,
Phang Nga.