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.
Business Day, “Tourist Sector Wins 3.65BN Baht Budget” [Electronic bulletin board], February 24, 2005, http://www.tatgovernor.com/tatgovernor/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.tatgovernor.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 Management22, no. 2 (2001): 135-147.
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-Marketing6, 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 Research25 (1998): 112-144.
18.
S. Sonmez, “Tourism, Terrorism, and Political Instability,”Annals of Tourism Research25 (1998): 416-456.
19.
J. Durocher, “Recovery Marketing: What To Do after a Natural Disaster,”Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly35, no. 2 (April 1994): 66-71.
