Pre- and post-tsunami, urban tourism development in Phuket

Abstract

The 26th December 2004 tsunami caused disastrous damage to many buildings and killed many people in the Andaman coastline of Thailand, including those in Phuket city, which is a popular tourist destination of the country. Despite this, Phuket’s tourism development has never stopped. Instead, it has become the main driver for economic growth and income generation for Phuket people. This chapter reviews the literature to document the resilience of Phuket City as an urban tourism destination. It looks at Phuket City’s urban tourism development by documenting pre-and post-tsunami conditions of the city, evaluates Phuket City’s conditions ten years after the tsunami until today, describes the negative impacts of urban tourism development the city is experiencing, and emphasizes the need for sustainable urban tourism planning via community engagement. The chapter also presents a case study on local people’s engagement in developing sustainable urban tourism in the study context. The chapter ends with some recommendations for a more sustainable urban tourism development suitable for Phuket City.