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Thailand’s Recovery: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Thailand is a nation that is predominantly dependent on tourism and foreign export.  Over the years this country has made itself a premier vacation destination for budget-conscious travelers.  Pristine, amazing beaches, a fascinating local culture, centuries of tradition, and bustling crowded cities have all contributed to Thailand’s allure.

The consequences of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and resultant tsunami were devastating and catastrophic to the Kingdom of Thailand, in terms of the sheer loss of human life, and the economic hit to tourism.  Nearly a quarter of a million people (current figures estimate 230,000) across eleven countries lost their lives in the wake of that natural mega-disaster.  Let us sit down and try and comprehend that number: 230,000 people.  For many in the Western world, this was merely a news blip, something that faded from memory after a month or so.  Yet a certain ship that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg caused the deaths of 1517 people, and this particular disaster is exponentially more memorable in the minds of most American teenagers.  This is a sad, but true fact of life.

Thailand was one of those countries hit, and it did actually receive some media attention, due no doubt to its thriving tourist trade.    We hear much less about Sri Lanka and other hard-hit nations.  The media attention was also no doubt due to the number of foreigners who died in the storm, from young backpackers to famous celebrities on luxury beach resorts.  Estimates place the death toll in Thailand at over 8000 people.  The grandson of the King of Thailand was among those killed by the quake.  The massive burst and release of energy was enough to slightly alter the earth’s rotation.  Estimates place the power of the quake to be 550 million times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic blast.  This was not a small oceanic disturbance, but an immensely powerful collision.

The good news was that in the aftermath, Thailand’s economy rebounded quicker than had been initially predicted.  Foreign governments pledged help in the rebuilding, and tourists have started coming back in recent years.    Celebrities like Brad and Angelina have promoted Thailand through supermarket tabloids everywhere, making the country a household name even in the middle of Middle America.  But the bad news also keeps rolling; Thailand has recently had to deal with serious political instability.  This instability was enough to close the airport from late November to early December 2008.  Additionally, in the face of the global economic downturn of the past few years it is worth noting that tourism is one of the first industries affected.  Vacations and tour bookings have been way down in recent years.

It is not all doom and gloom however; Thailand has been growing by leaps and bounds throughout 2009.  Foreign tourists regained their confidence in the country quickly, and a few months after the airport was re-opened foreigners were flowing through it at better than previously recorded numbers.  Although tour operators worldwide had experienced massive hits in 2008, they have reported a steady increase in tour bookings in 2009.  Is this an indicator that the recession is starting to get better?  Thailand can only hope so.  They can be hopeful in knowing that the sheer number of tours in Thailand, as evidenced by this list, continues to grow at a rapid pace.  If there were no market, there would not be so many offerings.

This nation, marred by so many tragedies in recent years, is nonetheless continuing its struggle, and it appears for the time being to be doing well yet again.  Despite the myriad problems, the country’s citizens have vowed to make it safer, more predictable, and more hospitable to Western travelers.  So far at least, it seems that the indefatigable spirit of the Thai people has overcome some of the worst that Mother Nature could throw at them.  We can only hope that this sort of tragedy does not happen again, and that the tsunami early warning system that arose in the wake of this disaster will curb such a horrific loss of human life.