Phang Nga’s resort developments finally gasp for air with tourist arrivals pushing 1 million
Image credit: Phuket.com
Long after the Indian Ocean Tsunami ebbed from Thailand, tourists and hoteliers alike are flowing back into its beaches.
Demand for hotels in Phang Nga, one of the worst-hit provinces by the 2004 tsunami, recorded a compounded annual growth rate of 16 percent from 2011 to 2015, according to a report by C9 Hotelworks.
The hotel consultancy counted 962,020 tourist arrivals in the province last year. This figure is expected to cross the 1 million milestone by the end of 2016.
The upswing in demand is especially manifest in the popular beach resort of Khao Lak, which has registered 104 registered accommodation units and 7,822 hotel keys.
A perennial favourite among “snowbirds” or foreigners from colder climes, Khao Lak seems to have shed its seasonal appeal. According to C9 Hotelworks, the destination curries favour in nearby markets like Australia, China, Japan, and Korea in the shoulder and low months from April to October.
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Ironically, German-speaking nations remain a dependable source of visitors to these parts.
According to Spiegel Online, the largest number of German tourists perished in Khao Lak in the wake of the tsunami.
Khao Lak is not all the same today. In the same report, Spiegel Online remarked that the tsunami has effectively swept away its brand as a “backpacker’s paradise.”
C9 Hotelworks expects a wave of high-profile, large-scale resort openings in Khao Lak over the next few years. Avani and Holiday Inn are set to make a big splash in Bangsak and Nang Thong areas in 2018 and 2016, respectively.
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami destroyed holiday homes on Phi Phi Island, Thailand
Source : property-report.com
Read more…Nearly 12 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami, Thai hotels swell again
