Phuket Airport's Tsunami Experience: Impact And Recovery

On the morning of 26 December 2004, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2-9.3 Mw struck the Indian Ocean, causing a massive tsunami with waves up to 30 m (100 ft) high. The tsunami devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, including Phuket, Thailand.

The tsunami struck the west coast of Phuket island, causing substantial damage to major beaches, resorts, and communities. The popular tourist area of Phuket was badly hit, with a large number of reported deaths, including foreign tourists.

The impact of the tsunami on Phuket's infrastructure and economy was significant, with visitor arrivals falling by more than 40% and many people losing their livelihoods. However, relief and recovery efforts were quickly implemented, and tourist numbers began to increase again by 2006.

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

On the morning of 26 December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck an undersea fault in the Indian Ocean. The earthquake was one of the largest ever recorded and lasted for 10 minutes, releasing as much power as several thousand atomic bombs. The resulting tsunami was the deadliest in recorded history, taking 227,898 lives across 14 countries, including 5,400 in Thailand.

The earthquake ruptured a 900-mile stretch along the Indian and Australian plates, 31 miles below the ocean floor. The force of the earthquake caused massive segments of the ocean floor to be displaced by an estimated 30 to 40 meters, resulting in devastating tsunami waves. The waves radiated outwards along a 1,600-kilometre length, reaching as far as Mexico, Chile, and the Arctic.

The first location where the tsunami was noticed was on the Similan Islands, a famous diving site located about 70 kilometres from Phang Nga town in Pha Nga province. The tsunami struck the west coast of Phuket island, causing substantial damage to major beaches, including Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata, as well as resorts and communities along the island's southern shores. The popular resort town of Khao Lak, located about 80 kilometres north of Phuket, was hit the hardest, with 3,950 confirmed deaths.

The impact of the tsunami on Thailand was significant, with the tourism and fishing industries being the most affected. The beach resorts along the Andaman Sea coast were extensively damaged, and many Thai-owned hotels and small businesses were ruined. The economic impact was considerable, and thousands of people lost their jobs in the tourism industry. The Thai government provided large amounts of capital to support the recovery of the private sector and implemented the Phuket Action Plan to restore market confidence and speed up the recovery of affected destinations.

Phuket Action Plan

The Phuket Action Plan was developed in February 2005 by the UN World Tourism Organisation (WTO) in a bid to restore market confidence and speed up the recovery of Phuket and other affected destinations in Thailand. The plan comprised five operational areas:

Marketing and Communications

The most important element of the Phuket Action Plan was marketing and communications, which would be key to recovering the confidence of potential visitors and tourism partners. This would mean engaging with multiple audiences, including governments, businesses, tour operators, travel agents, the media, and the public.

Community Relief

The tsunami wreaked havoc on the tourism industry in Phuket and southern Thailand, with visitor arrivals falling by more than 40% and up to 100,000 people losing their jobs. The plan aimed to provide community relief to those affected by the tsunami.

Professional Training

The plan also included professional training for the tourism workforce, to ensure that they were equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively promote and manage the tourism industry in the aftermath of the tsunami.

Sustainable Redevelopment

The redevelopment of the tourism product with a greater emphasis on sustainability was another key focus of the Phuket Action Plan. This included the replanting and maintenance of coastal vegetation, which has been shown to help buffer the effects of waves.

Risk Management

Finally, the plan addressed risk management strategies, such as the installation of a tsunami warning system and the construction of tsunami warning towers to reassure tourists about their safety.

The impact on tourism

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami had a devastating impact on the tourism industry in Phuket, which was one of 14 countries affected by the disaster. Phuket was the most accessible location for international news media, and reports of thousands of missing tourists during the Christmas holiday season dominated news bulletins worldwide.

The tsunami struck the west coast of Phuket island, causing substantial damage to almost all the major beaches, including Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata, as well as resorts and communities along the island's southern shores. The tourism sector, hotels, and resorts accounted for roughly 12% of Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2004 and up to 42% of the economy in Phuket province. In the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, visitor arrivals fell by more than 40%, and up to 100,000 people lost their jobs. Average hotel occupancy in Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi fell by more than half.

In February 2005, the UN World Tourism Organisation (WTO) convened a meeting in Phuket of tourism experts representing 42 countries to develop a plan to restore market confidence and speed up the recovery of the affected destinations. The Phuket Action Plan comprised five operational areas: marketing-communications, community relief, professional training, sustainable redevelopment, and risk management. The most important element was marketing and communications, which would be key to recovering the confidence of potential visitors and tourism partners.

Airlines that had initially cancelled flights to Phuket gradually returned, and new services from markets such as Hong Kong, China, Russia, and South Korea began operating directly to Phuket and Krabi. Tourist numbers to the tsunami-affected areas of Thailand began to increase in 2006, and by the end of that year, the tourism industry had almost recovered to pre-tsunami levels.

The human toll

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami killed an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries, making it the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century and one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. The tsunami struck the west coast of Phuket island, causing substantial damage to almost all the major beaches on Phuket's west coast, including Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata. The popular tourist area of Phuket was badly hit, with around 250 individuals, including foreign tourists, reported deceased.

The tsunami caused panic and chaos, with people running for their lives as the waves struck. Many people were caught off guard, as the tsunami struck during the peak holiday travel season, and there was no prior warning. The disaster led to a massive humanitarian response, with governments and organizations providing aid and relief supplies. The Thai government also took steps to provide warning systems and evacuation routes to improve safety.

The impact of the tsunami extended beyond the immediate aftermath, affecting the local economy, infrastructure, and environment. The tourism and fishing industries, which accounted for a significant portion of Thailand's gross domestic product, were severely impacted. The confidence of tourists, especially from Europe, took a significant hit, and it took time for the industry to recover.

The environmental impact

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami had a devastating impact on the environment in Phuket and the surrounding areas. The tsunami caused severe damage to coastal ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities, with long-lasting effects on the region's environment and economy.

One of the most significant environmental impacts was the destruction of coastal ecosystems, particularly coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass beds. The tsunami damaged about 15-20% of the coral reefs in the region due to siltation and sand infiltration. The backwash from the tsunami waves carried debris and deposited it on the reefs, smothering and breaking them apart. However, deeper coral reefs beyond three to five meters in depth were not adversely affected.

Sea grass beds, which play a critical role in fishery production and as a food source, were also impacted. Surveys by the Thai government revealed that 3-10% of these sea grass beds were damaged and took about six months to recover.

The impact on mangrove forests was less severe, with less than 1% affected. The large mangrove forests in Phang Nga, the most affected province in Thailand, significantly mitigated the impact of the tsunami by reducing the tidal wave energy and providing protection to inland populations. However, areas where mangroves had been converted into shrimp farms were worse affected.

Inland, the tsunami caused extensive damage to surface and groundwater resources. Land up to three kilometers inland was inundated, rendering most of the affected water bodies useless due to seawater infiltration. Seawater intrusion also affected about 20,000 to 30,000 hectares of land, including vegetation cover and soil fertility, which was impacted by increased salinity in the medium to long term.

The tsunami also resulted in the contamination of soil and water bodies. Rivers, wells, inland lakes, and groundwater aquifers experienced salination in many affected areas. This, along with debris contamination, affected the fertility of agricultural lands, reducing yields. Additionally, some water sources were contaminated by damaged septic tanks and toilets, with sewage infiltrating the water supply systems.

The environmental consequences of the 2004 tsunami highlighted the need for improved disaster preparedness, response, and long-term environmental sustainability measures. The rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts focused on restoring coastal ecosystems, improving early warning systems, and implementing more effective disaster management plans.

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