Fears of ghosts scare away many Asians from Phuket [b]AP Photos

Fears of ghosts scare away many Asians from Phuket AP Photos
NY114-115[ By WILLIAM FOREMAN= Associated Press Writer=
HONG KONG (AP) -

Fears of ghosts scare away many Asians from Phuket

William Foreman
Associated Press/Hong Kong

Fears that another deadly tsunami will crash over Phuket are
scaring away many travelers from the Thai resort island six
months since the disaster.

But hordes of Asian tourists are staying away for another
reason: worries that the ghosts of the thousands of victims may
be haunting the beaches and bungalows.

A popular superstition in Chinese societies holds that if
bodies aren't recovered and properly buried, the spirits
restlessly wander the world. Some believe the lost souls try to
drag living beings into their spiritual limbo land.

"As soon as people try to go into the sea, they start worrying
about these things," said Joseph Tung Yao Chung, executive
director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong.

Tung said that Hong Kongers are avoiding Phuket, and travel
industry sources in Taiwan, mainland China and South Korea also
say that the tropical island is no longer a popular destination.

Kang Jung-hoon, who arranges trips for the large Korean travel
agency Hanna Tour in Seoul, said people are afraid of ghosts and
rumors that bodies are floating around. Kang said that from
January to June, only 1,230 customers went to Phuket -- down
sharply from the 3,187 who went during the same period last year.

Media reports have helped fuel the superstitions in South
Korea. Free tabloid Sports Korea recently ran a story about three
popular Korean celebrities who were filming a TV show in Phuket.
The stars reported hearing voices at their hotel that they
believed were spirits, the paper said.

More than 5,300 people died and 2,900 went missing when the
tsunami swept over Thailand's southwestern coastline on Dec. 26
last year. Many of the victims were foreign tourists from Europe
and Asia.

Many beach resorts were quickly repaired, and Thailand's
travel industry is aggressively promoting the area with
assurances it is making a quick recovery. A government-backed
tsunami system to warn beachgoers of any new tsunami is being
installed.

Among the places hit was Phuket's busiest beach, Patong.
Travel agent Jirakan Pattawong said she has noticed the big drop
off in Asian tourists on Patong. "Asians used to come here as
solo travelers, but now they only come in groups because they're
scared to come alone," she said.

The Holiday Inn Resort Phuket on Patong reported a 71 percent
decline in room bookings in April and May compared to the same
time last year. The hotel said guests from Japan, mainland China
and Hong Kong were down 93 percent, 91 percent and 83 percent,
respectively.

"The tourists from Australia and the U.K. are not worried.
They say it's nature, it happened and it is past. They're not
scared," said Rapeeporn Thavorn, director of revenue at the
Holiday Inn.

Business has been so bad that many Asian airlines cut their
direct flights to Phuket. Taiwan's biggest carrier, China
Airlines, didn't plan to resume the service until the end of the
year, said Joseph Wu, the company's spokesman.

"Now more travelers go to Northeast Asia, especially Japan and
South Korea," Wu said. "The tsunami affected the wish of tourists
to go to Phuket, but not to Bangkok where we have three to four
daily flights."

Tung of Hong Kong's Travel Industry Council said the suspended
direct flights have also discouraged trips to Phuket. He said
many tourists don't want to bother with changing planes in
Bangkok before flying to the island.

Eric Wu, a Southeast Asia specialist at the Taipei Association
of Travel Agents, said sharp discounts haven't helped rekindle
interest in Phuket. Tours once priced at US$500 have been slashed
to $250.

Wu estimated that Phuket would need at least three to six more
months before showing any signs of recovery.

"The number of deaths in the tsunami was just too high, so
there is a strong psychological element," Wu said.

(Correspondents Alisa Tang in Patong, Victoria Kim in Seoul, and
Peter Enav and Stephan Grauwels in Taipei contributed to this
report.)

GetAP 1.00 -- JUN 29, 2005 08:21:10