Phuket tourism on the rebound.

(From Bangkok Post)

Weighed down by the Iraq war and Sars for most of the year, the tourism industry in Phuket is going through a period of revival with some hotels reporting brisk foreign arrivals as the year draws to a close.

Fuelling the revival has been a spate of Asian travellers headed by Korean honeymooners, Taiwanese and Hong Kong tourists. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) office in Phuket, tourism in the island resort is gathering steam, although the response from European travellers has been less forthcoming.

Hotels meanwhile, particularly four-star and those lower down the rung, see tough days ahead and predict a price war in the face of …