THAILAND: A travel company plans to run three-day coach tours to the most devastated areas of Thailand's Andaman Sea coast this week to inject cash into villages wrecked by last month's tsunami.
The trips, organised by Bangkok-based World Class On Tour, will start at a town just north of the devastated resort of Khao Lak where tourists will offer rice and canned food to survivors.
The tourists will drive past a temple used as a makeshift morgue for thousands of bodies and stop near Khao Lak for a small memorial service and Buddhist "merit-making" ceremony for the spirits of those swept to their death by giant waves on December 26th. The coaches will also stop at handicraft and dried seafood shops along the Andaman coast and tourists will stay in Phuket.
"The main aim is to help revive the economy, hotels and tourism industry in general," said Ms Patthira Janpeekant, head of World Class On Tour. "When we went to survey the area, I saw there was nothing left," she said. "People are thirsty, but they are happy when they get even a little water."
Tourists have all but disappeared from Phuket and Phang Nga province just to the north, with hotel occupancy rates down to single digits compared to 90 per cent in a normal high season.
The "tsunami tour", costing 2,500 baht (just under €50), will run once a month; 300 people have already booked for the first trip tomorrow. The company was offering the tour at a cut-price rate, Ms Patthira said, adding that a three-day coach trip would normally cost about 6,000 baht (about €120).
She expected the tour to be popular among foreigners as well as Thais. "Foreigners will also want to help the affected areas. Many have already given donations to Thailand since the disaster happened."