HUA HIN - Since the December 26 tsunami devastated the coastlines of a dozen Asian countries, the tourism industry in Thailand has been in first gear, slowly and painfully struggling its way up a hill that was created by the one of the world's largest natural disasters.
Hundreds of thousands of people have cancelled their holidays or redirected their trips to alternative and, in their minds, safer destinations. What was once a thriving hub of holiday activity on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand has turned into a low seaon, with many businesses still closed or forced to call it quits.
According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 120,000 jobs have been lost in Thailand in the tourism sector, and an estimate by the Tourism Authority of Thailand suggests the affected provinces stand to lose more than US$1 billion in tourism revenue, or 5 million tourists, in the first quarter of this year. The environmental implications of the disaster are another story: they will continue to have an affect on the area for many years.
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