Three years after the great 2004 tsunami devastated the beaches of Phuket, tourists are visiting in record numbers. According to TTG Asia, the push to reconstruct after the disaster has led to renewed success all along Southern Thailand's Andaman coast.

Why did Phuket, and neighboring Khao Lak and Krabi, regain their former success so quickly? As the bread-and-butter of Thailand's tourist industry, they almost had to. And, despite rumors amongst industry insiders that Thailand is trying to gentrify its tourist industry, Thailand remains one of the cheapest destinations around. Its infrastructure puts it head and shoulders above the beaches of neighboring countries. People looking for a pleasant-but-reasonably-priced getaway find paradise along the Andaman. And Thailand showed, with its warp speed recovery, that it is happy to oblige travelers.