COPENHAGEN, Jan 11 (AFP) - The Danish foreign ministry on Tuesday lifted its travel advisory for Thailand's tsunami-hit tourist island of Phuket, prompting a decision by the country's largest travel group, MyTravel, to resume travel to the area.
"We will reopen this destination, especially Patong Beach, Kata Beach, Karon Beach, Surin Beach and Krabi," sales manager at MyTravel Jan Vendelbo told AFP.
"This is also the best way of supporting Thailand, by sending tourists there and helping get the tourism industry, which is an important sector for (the country's) economy, back on its feet," he added.
Of the nearly 160,000 people who perished in last month's Asian tsunami disaster, seven Danes have so far been confirmed dead, while 52 of the country's citizens remain missing.
MyTravel is planning to send its first plane from Copenhagen to Phuket on February 8.
"We do not want to do it (send tourists to Phuket) before we are sure that everything is ready in Phuket and that the situation there has been normalized," Vendelbo said.
The travel group, he added, expects to make only about 45 percent of its previously forecast proceeds on trips to Phuket for the winter months of 2004 and 2005.
The company also started sending extra flights from Copenhagen to Bangkok on January 8 to handle customers who had already purchased trips to Phuket, Khaolak and Phi Phi.
MyTravel does not plan to send flights to Khaolak or Phi Phi for the rest of the winter season, which ends at the end of March, since both spots have been too damaged by the tsunamis, Vendelbo said.
He added that the company had also ruled out relsuming trips to tourist destinations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives for the remainder of the season.
"We will reopen this destination, especially Patong Beach, Kata Beach, Karon Beach, Surin Beach and Krabi," sales manager at MyTravel Jan Vendelbo told AFP.
"This is also the best way of supporting Thailand, by sending tourists there and helping get the tourism industry, which is an important sector for (the country's) economy, back on its feet," he added.
Of the nearly 160,000 people who perished in last month's Asian tsunami disaster, seven Danes have so far been confirmed dead, while 52 of the country's citizens remain missing.
MyTravel is planning to send its first plane from Copenhagen to Phuket on February 8.
"We do not want to do it (send tourists to Phuket) before we are sure that everything is ready in Phuket and that the situation there has been normalized," Vendelbo said.
The travel group, he added, expects to make only about 45 percent of its previously forecast proceeds on trips to Phuket for the winter months of 2004 and 2005.
The company also started sending extra flights from Copenhagen to Bangkok on January 8 to handle customers who had already purchased trips to Phuket, Khaolak and Phi Phi.
MyTravel does not plan to send flights to Khaolak or Phi Phi for the rest of the winter season, which ends at the end of March, since both spots have been too damaged by the tsunamis, Vendelbo said.
He added that the company had also ruled out relsuming trips to tourist destinations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives for the remainder of the season.