News Release

Contact:                                                                       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Kelly May                                                                       December 20, 2006
+66 (0) 87 917 7165
relieffund@inet.co.th

After the Wave – A Tsunami Devastated Village Embraces Respectful Tourism

Tung Nang Dam, Thailand –

Nartladda Klongwitti, or Chim as her friends call her, smiles as she welcomes the group of foreigners to her village on the Andaman Coast.  Unlike the majority of visitors over the past few years, this group of visitors is not here to see the destruction wrought by the tsunami of 2004.  Instead, they are here as tourists to enjoy the cultural and natural splendor of Tung Nang Dam, a village of 70 houses situated in between the coral reefs and dense rainforests of Southern Thailand.

Life has not always been so easy for Chim – the majority of her village was destroyed in the tsunami, and, due to a lack of initial relief, she was unable to replace her lost boat and fishing nets.  With the development of community-based tourism, however, her luck is turning around.  She has been able to receive vocational training and a steady income from the small stream of tourists that visit Tung Nang Dam.

Nearly two years after the devastating wave, in an area largely overlooked by the ensuing relief efforts, lives are turning around as villagers are creating new models of living in their post disaster worlds.  Unusually, the new opportunities have been created by and for the community, allowing progress to coexist with the traditional fishing culture.

Tourism, as Chim sees it, is complex - it’s inevitable spread across Southern Thailand has led to great economic benefit, but also to cultural and environmental degradation. So, with resorts rebuilding and guests returning after the tsunami, Chim and other villagers formed a committee to decide how tourism might be used as a tool for community development.

The village committee approached North Andaman Tsunami Relief (NATR), and requested assistance in developing community-based tourism.  With the help of the International Labor Organization and CARE International, NATR was able to provide English lessons, marketing, and vocational training.

The ultimate result of the collaboration is the newly launched Andaman Discoveries – a non-profit effort to support community-based tourism in tsunami affected villages.  “We provide services that will allow communities to develop a form of tourism that does not undermine their traditional way of life,” said Kelly May, director of Andaman Discoveries.

This month, twenty-two individuals graduated from Andaman Discoveries’ vocational training program.  The six month intensive focused on guiding, small business, and community development.  Despite being from villages that suffered widespread devastation, the graduates have come to recognize that their communities are once again attractive to foreigners.

When asked about how she feels about the last two years, Chim replies, “The tsunami was a terrible thing, but it also helped us to open our minds to new opportunities. We are now ready to welcome the world, and share our way of life with respectful visitors”

Andaman Discoveries