Khao Lak
Khao Lak is a resort beach in Thailand, located 100 km north of Phuket in Takua Pa district, Phang Nga province and popular as a departure point for liveaboard scuba diving trips.
The coast line here has a west-facing, sandy beach with tropical forest and rubber plantations on the hill slopes beyond the sand. A road runs roughly parallel with the beach and the town has grown up as a ribbon development of shops and dwellings, with tourist hotels between the road and the beach.
The local economy in the town is based on the tourist hotels, local shops and restaurants, and the diving trade. Most of the foreign tourists are European, many from Scandinavia, Germany and the United Kingdom. The wider area produces some rubber and palm oil; there is also a small amount of subsistence agriculture.
As a result of the serious damage by the tsunami in December 2004 (see below) the economy is now ruined and is expected to take about two years to recover. All the hotels have been seriously damaged and many will need to be completely rebuilt. It is likely that the Thai government will require the hotels to be relocated further from the beach. Some rebuilding of resorts is well underway, however tourists are still reluctant to visit the area. The local economy is sustained mainly by volunteers from the Tsunami Volunteer Centre, passing disaster tourists and academic research parties. |
