The province of Phang Nga, Thailand provides an interesting lens through which to investigate long-term international aid recovery. As a province, it sustained the largest amount of economic loss, physical damage, and more than 80% of the total disaster-related deaths in Thailand (Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Thailand, 2005). In addition, it is an area newly touched by tourism, as many large-scale resorts had opened up only months before the tsunami hit in December 2004 (Kenan TRAI Inception Report, 2006).
Phang Nga is a diversified province: Khao Lak bears the physical appearance and amenities of a Western tourist town, and Khuraburi is a rural Thai town. Therefore, Phang Nga provides for a fascinating analysis of how each of the case study organizations, and individuals within them, negotiate the use of tourism in long-term recovery. Both towns and populations suffered tremendous loss to livelihoods in addition to personal capital and
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population, but both are seeking alternatives to reconstruction that have been met with similar challenges, which I will detail in the following chapter.
Organization Selection
Based on exploratory research conducted in the summer of 2006, I had decided to operationalize the study around individual perceptions across multiple long-term
international aid organizations. However, upon my return to the Phang Nga province and to the towns of Khao Lak and Khuraburi, it became immediately apparent that very few organizations on paper currently existed in any similar form. At that time, I made the decision to instead study two organizations that had deeper roots in their respective
communities. Rather than skimming over an assortment of organizations in varying stages of disarray, I quickly realized the singular value of these two organizations that stood out among the rest.
The two case study organizations, ABT and KNTC, were selected because of their long-term commitment, their decidedly alternative approaches to recovery, their engagement with tourism, and their distinct locations in Phang Nga. They were identified through D- TRAC (Disaster Tracking Recovery Assistance Center), a non-profit that has tracked the influx of aid in Khao Lak and beyond since the disaster. DTRAC’s reporting provided an appropriate sampling frame with which to identify organizations that took an interest in tourism and also were engaging in long-term livelihood rebuilding efforts. These reports provide the most complete listing of aid organizations in the tsunami-affected area and provide contact information and local office locations. The information is verified by the individual aid organizations and therefore reflects the most accurate resource available. I was able to identify these organizations in the summer of 2006 when I was involved in a separate
program in the area. During that time, I conducted preliminary exploratory research and made initial contacts.
Participant Selection
To operationalize this study, I investigated the recovery process through the
perceptions of international aid workers devoted to long term economic recovery—workers who have chosen to be involved in organizations that rely on recovery through the tourism sector. This study also drew on Thai participants to provide insight into how and in what communities these efforts are having an impact.
International Aid Workers
As the two case study organizations are small, I was able to interview all of the International (non-Thai) staff members at each organization—two at ABT and three at KNTC. The individuals all work in long-term economic recovery efforts in tourism, are international, and are on staff or volunteer at an organization in Phang Nga province. This homogeneity allowed me to isolate the variables I am studying—the different motivations and goals of individuals—so I could evaluate if and how these differences are reflected in the type of tourism efforts they pursue (community-based, scuba diving, etc.), whether those pursuits affect their level of engagement with the Thai people, and what were the best practices to which they adhere. Semi-structured interviews conducted with international aid workers ranged in duration from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed at a later time.
Thai Participants
Thai participants for this study were selected after the international aid organizations and workers were identified. Thai participants were chosen based on their involvement with
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the particular aid organizations. They were either currently working with one of the organizations or had worked with them since the 2004 tsunami. The participants were all over the age of 18 and had been involved in the vocational training portion of each organization’s program. As ABT currently has a vocational training program in session, I was able to interview 4 of the participants: 2 males and 2 females. At KNTC, however, the training program was complete, and I could directly interview only one previous student. Each of the semi-structured interviews was conducted in English, in a location of the student’s choosing; the interviews were audio recorded and then transcribed, and lasted between 30 minutes to one hour. I restricted my interviews to English (since I cannot speak Thai), but all of my interviewees speak English as it is a necessity for workers in the Thai tourism industry. I structured my questions for Thai participants to focus on their own personal stories and hopes for the future of tourism; these basic questions facilitated communication with non-native English speakers. This participant selection process was appropriate for the research questions as the questions seek to discern if the motivations of the international aid workers are in alignment with and aiding a particular group of Thai people, or if there is diversity and heterogeneity of opinion and participation within these efforts of tourism for recovery.