Investment in local property businesses in Thailand's six southern Andaman coastal provinces is projected to be less affected by last month's tsunami disaster, the Thai News Agency reported Monday.

Supin Meechucheep, president of Jones Lang LaSalle (Thailand), disclosed that Khao Lak in Phang-nga and the Phi Phi Island in Krabi Provinces are the tourist sites, which sustained the most serious damages from the disaster.

Around 6,000 hotel and resort rooms were damaged in Khao Lak. So were around 1,700 on the Phi Phi Island.

In Phuket, most damages occurred in the Patong and Kamala Beaches.

She projected that effects from the tsunamis on tourism in the resort province would persist around three months or more.

For the Phi Phi Island, she expected, it could recover before the next tourism season would begin in November.

But for Khao Lak, it might take longer time to recover because it sustained huge damages, she estimated.

On the investment climate, the company found many investors had continued to go ahead with their investment plans, particularly in hotel and luxury residence businesses.

Longlom Bunnak, head of the company's Investment Service Department, conceded that housing projects in the seaside area had been moderately affected since potential customers had delayed their decisions.

However, no investor had expressed intention to postpone or terminate any investment projects.

Instead, some property funds have showed interest in exploring investment opportunities in Phuket.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2005)