New fears for tsunami-hit resorts

Tourism is crucial to Thailand's economy

Tourism officials in Thailand are putting on a brave face after another powerful earthquake in the Indian Ocean so soon after the 26 December tsunami.

The quake on Monday is a setback for efforts to revive tourism, an industry crucial to the Thai economy.

Only Europeans are returning in any numbers, and occupancy rates are down in what should be peak season.

However, tourism chiefs say there has been no new surge in cancellations, or travellers trying to leave resorts.

"Our hope is that travellers who have booked do not take flight and will continue to travel," Ken Scott of the Pacific Asia Travel Association told the AFP news agency.

"I think reasonable people will see this as an extremely rare event and not change their travel plans."

However, he said the earthquake made efforts to attract back reluctant tourists from countries like Japan and South Korea that much harder.

Warning system

Hundreds are believed to have died in Indonesia after an earthquake 125 miles off the coast of the island of Sumatra, late on Monday, triggered tsunami warnings.

Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India initially issued tsunami warnings, but they were later scaled down.

It might have some psychological impact among some guests Pattanapong Aikwanich, Phuket Hotels Association

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, aware of the need to restore confidence in tourism, said a public tsunami-warning system would be ready soon.

Occupancy rates in hotels on the island of Phuket were reported to be about 40% - down on the 75% occupancy of March 2004.

"It might have some psychological impact among some guests," said Pattanapong Aikwanich, president of the Phuket Hotels Association.

"There have been some cancellations, but nothing significant."

Worst hit

Tourism chiefs across the region have been trying to restore confidence in the industry since the 26 December tsunami.

"As a direct result of the tsunami there is a risk that 9% of international travellers planning a holiday in 2005 have switched their travel plans to other regions," a report published earlier this month stated.

The "Post-tsunami global travel intentions" report, commissioned by the intergovernmental World Tourism Organisation (WTO), highlighted how those worst affected by the tsunami have also been the ones hit by the sharpest falls in visitor numbers.

"Since the tsunami disaster, there has been a significant drop in international travel to affected tourist destinations such as Phuket in Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives," said James Murray, executive with Visa International Asia Pacific, which co-authored the report.