IRELAND: Irish holidaymakers who had booked to travel to areas devastated by the tsunami disaster are re-routing rather than cancelling their trips, according to Ireland's long-haul travel agents.
Fresh bookings are also being made for Thailand and other affected countries, following appeals from governments in the region for westerners to continue to travel to Asia, and bring vital tourism revenue with them.
Mr Ed Burke, of Twohig Travel, said: "People have come in to us saying, 'We want to go and support the country (Thailand)'.
"There is not a man, woman or child in Thailand who is not connected with someone working in the tourism industry. They depend on tourism for their livelihood and are saying, 'We need your support and we need your money'."
He said Twohig Travel did not expect to be selling holidays in Phuket for about six months. "All the other resorts in different parts of Thailand are still operating as normal. People who had booked for Phuket are either electing to go to another part of Thailand, or they are picking an alternative location," he added.
Like other agents, including Joe Walsh Tours and Tropical Places, Twohig Travel is offering holidaymakers who had booked to areas devastated by the disaster the choice of re-routing, rescheduling or getting a refund without penalty. A spokeswoman for Tropical Places said it had also taken fresh bookings for Thailand but it was not taking any bookings for Sri Lanka until further notice.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has issued revised travel advice for southern Asia, saying people should avoid the west coast of northern Sumatra, eastern parts of Sri Lanka and the western coast of Thailand.
It said people intending to travel to The Maldives, the eastern and southern coastal areas of India and the western coastal areas of Malaysia, should check with their travel operator, and if possible with the accommodation provider at their destination, before departing.
