Remembering Tsunami 2004: Phuket bounces back from disaster

FOR STAR2 USE ONLYKoh Phi Phi, Thailand, 10 years after the tsunami. Image from Phuket Gazete/The Nation/ANN

Tourism industry insiders who have monitored trends in the Phuket tourism industry over the past 10 years describe the recovery after the worst natural disaster to ever hit the region as ‘remarkable’.

THAI tourism industry icon Wichit Na Ranong, managing director of the luxurious Indigo Pearl resort at Nai Yang Beach in Phuket, says, “I would say we had a very fast recovery after the tsunami. In fact, I think it may be the fastest recovery ever anywhere after a disaster of this kind. I think the industry had almost recovered after two years and was fully back to normal after three, with continuous progress after that.”