Thailand tourism improves

Travellers are returning to Thailand, according to new figures.

Following the widespread devastation which was caused by the Asian tsunami on Boxing Day in 2004, the number of tourists heading to the country dramatically decreased, as traditional resorts such as Phuket were devastated by the flood waters.

However, the country has worked hard to get its infrastructure back in place following the disaster and it appears to be having a positive impact on tourist numbers as more people flock back to the region.

Figures released by the Tourism Authority of Thailand show that there has been a massive 275 per cent increase in visitors to the country during the first quarter of 2006.

"We expect tourism arrivals for the whole year could be back to almost the same level of pre-tsunami in 2003," commented Suwalai Pinpradab of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

However, some areas remain in need of much work and islands such as Phi Phi are still in the rebuilding process, with tourism in these areas unlikely to recover by the end of the year.