TIME TO LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES.

(From Bangkok Post)

Byline: Story by SUJINTANA HEMTASILPA

Before the tsunami, the tourism revenue of Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi accounted for a third of the country's entire tourism earnings. The huge waves of last Dec 26 caused a sharp drop in the number of visitors to the region, and stripped local people of the economic freedom they had built and enjoyed.

Some suggest it is time to think about an alternative strategy, as the lesson from Dec 26 was that an economy heavily dependent on tourism is very sensitive to negative incidents.

Given the fact that anything can happen any time in today's international economic, political, and natural environment, ranging from terrorist attacks and earthquakes to the outbreak of exotic new infectious diseases, will Thailand leave Phuket's economy exposed, and at such a high risk of …