VIRAPART, C., 2011. Tsunami Prevention and Preparedness Practices for Tourism Sector and Private Entrepreneur in Khao Lak, Phang Nga Province of Thailand. In: Micallef, A. (ed.), MCRR3–2010 Conference Proceedings, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 61, pp. 365–368. Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy, ISSN 0749–0208.
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami on 26th December 2004 caused more than 8,000 casualties for both Thais and foreign tourists in Thailand. Casualties were mainly in the Khao Lak areas, one of the most popular coastal cities of the Andaman Sea of Thailand in Phang Nga Province. Thailand has put in place a disaster early warning system through the establishment of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) in on 30th May 2005. NDWC and its interagency departments and international organizations have implemented knowledge-based capacity building programs to increase awareness and resilience in disaster management at the Government function levels and the community level since 2006. It was found that the tsunami prevention and preparedness practices for tourism sector and private entrepreneurs had not yet been developed. This may result in detrimental impacts if tsunamis of the same magnitude will occur again in the future. A project entitled “Tsunami Prevention and Preparedness Practices for Tourism Sector and Private Entrepreneur in Khao Lak, Phang Nga Province of Thailand” is now proposed to be implemented in about 30 selected hotels, resorts and business areas in Khao Lak, Phang Nga. The objectives of the project are to implement tourism and business entrepreneur strategic early warning and risk management plans to provide participatory planning, disaster preparedness and response practices selected hotels, resorts and business area buildings and to demonstrate utilization of appropriate telecommunication technology for disaster early warning system for tourism and private sector entrepreneur located in Khao Lak Areas, Phang Nga. The project will provide adaptive learning tools in the tsunami prevention and preparedness practices for tourism sector and private entrepreneur in Khao Lak of Phang Nga and can be expanded to other areas which are located in the tsunami prone areas of Thailand and in other countries.
