End of year targeted for return to normality

Tourist chiefs in the islands worst affected by the tsunami are optimistically predicting that visitor numbers could be back to normal by the end of the year. Tourist arrivals at Thailand’s Bangkok airport in the first three days of this year were 27 per cent down on last year’s daily average of 18,904, but Tourism Authority of Thailand chief Jutamas Siriwan is confident that tourists will soon return, even to the country’s worst hit areas. She estimated that Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, which were hit badly by the tsunami, would lose only about 10 per cent of their annual £1.7 billion income from tourism. She said only 10 per cent of the attractions on the Andaman coast and islands had been hit by the tidal waves. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s deputy tourism minister Arunja Ranatunga said 70 per cent of the country’s tourism infrastructure was still intact and claimed the target of 600,000 visitors in 2005 could still be reached. Officials in Sri Lanka and Thailand have re-iterated their plea for holidaymakers to keep travelling to the countries. Sri Lanka Tourist Board UK director Charmarie Maelge said: “We re very keen for people to carry on visiting us. It is a lifeline and every tourist going back to the country will help the economy get back on its feet. “Our slogan is ‘Beyond Beaches’ because 58 per cent of our hotels are located away from coastal areas and there is still so much to see in the country.” But consultancy company Deloitte was less optimistic about the recovery time needed. It argued that companies would have to offer heavy discounts to tempt tourists back. “The speed of recovery will depend on the restoration of the infrastructure, clean water and sanitation as well as the rebuilding of shops, restaurants and services which are essential to support the tourism industry,” said Deloitte’s Alex Kyriakidis.