Up-to-date news of the destinations we operate to affected by the recent natural disaster.

85% of Thailand was totally unaffected.  The television pictures we all saw focused mainly on the worst-hit areas of Khao Lak and Phi Phi.  Whilst life will take a little longer to get back to normal in these areas, Krabi and Phuket have bounced back relatively quickly with most of the hotels and resorts open, as before. 

The resilience of the local people and the speed of the clean-up operation have been amazing.  The beaches are more pristine than they were before and a number of hotels brought forward refurbishment programmes.  The cafes and bars along the beachfront road at Patong Beach were severely damaged and are being rebuilt, but beyond that the numerous shops, bars and restaurants were totally unaffected and remain open.

The wonderful local people whose livelihoods depend on tourism, are still smiling (amazingly!) and bending over backwards to welcome visitors to their country with their own unique brand of gracious hospitality.  The return of foreign visitors will, of course, help put money back into the economy at a time when the region is desperate for funds to help local people.  Their lives will get back to normal even quicker if tourists support them and continue to travel to their country

The minimal damage from the tidal waves on Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia could in no way be compared to what happened in the south of Thailand, 500 miles away.  Debris and minimal damage on these islands was cleared away and repaired within 48 hours.