Swedish Tour Operators Return To Khao Lak

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Swedish operators return to Khao Lak

Victims' relatives approve decision

BANGKOK: -- Swedish tour-operator Fritidsresor is to resume charter flights to Khao Lak from November following consulta-tions with the Tsunami Victims' Relatives Association.

Fritidsresor, which used to send the greatest number of Swedish tourists to Khao Lak, will begin promoting its tours there on the Internet this autumn.

The beach resort of Khao Lak was where most Swedish tourists were killed when the tsunami struck the Andaman coast on December 26, 2004. Most of them, including some Fritidsresor staff, were staying in the Blue Village on Pakarang Cape in the north of Khao Lak, which was seriously damaged by the giant waves.

A spokesperson for the company said the decision had had to be carefully considered, taking into account the feelings of the victims' relatives.

The company estimated last year that it would be many years before it could take tourists to the area again. However, Lottie Knutson, PR director of Fritidsresor, said: "The renovation has been done very fast. The natural beauty of the beach has revived quickly, and many hotels have reopened to receive guests while villagers are ready to welcome visitors again."

Knutson added: "Apart from other things, we contacted the association of the tsunami victims' relatives, which supports us on this matter."

The tour programme will begin in November, using two hotels that were least affected by the tsunami and another which has just built a new accommodation area for families.

However, Knutson said Fritidsresor had no plans to build its own accommodation at the Blue Village. "That spot is closely related to the disaster since it is the place where most of our clients and staff died," she said.

The plans by the Swedish charter tour to bring tourists back to Khao Lak reflects demand, as competitor Apollo is also due to begin a tour programme in the area.

Mats Dahlquist, marketing director for Apollo, said: "There is an opportunity to start sending our tourists in winter, but we are still hesitant. Many people lost relatives there. Yet at the same time, if we do not send tourists there it means that we will not be helping the villagers in that area earn a living. It is difficult to strike a balance."

Bob Stigsson, one of the founders of the Tsunami Victims' Relatives Association, said: "The best thing is to start as soon as possible. This will help villagers there, and I think that most of the members feel the same way. We have been talking about this, and many relatives of the victims have already travelled to the area, and we are ready to go there again."

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Stockholm office has been communicating with tour-operators and tourists in Sweden regarding the current development of the affected

areas and the readiness of facili-ties to accommodate tourists again.

In 2005 Thailand won several awards in the Scandinavian market, among them in Sweden were World's Best Charter Destination for summer 2005 from Allt om Resor travel magazine and Best Tourist Destination 2005, for the fourth consecutive year from Travel News Magazine, an independent trade journal.

Swedish tourist arrivals at Bangkok International Airport from January to March were 67,808, up 16.25 per cent from the same period in 2005.

--The Nation 2006-05-15