Nearly three months ago, the tsunami devastated parts of Asia. This week the managing director of Ryedale Travel PHIL CORNELIUS asks what now for South-East Asia, once a popular destination for tourists...

ON Boxing Day 2004 the Australian and Eurasian plates collided beneath the Indian Ocean causing the biggest earthquake for 40 years. The seabed jolted upwards displacing hundreds of cubic kilometres of water and sending a series of giant waves (tsunami) across thousands of kilometres of ocean. As it reached the shallow water near coastal resorts the tsunami slowed but increased in height crashing ashore with little or no warning.

By lunchtime on Boxing Day, it was clear that a major disaster had occurred. Many travel agents across the UK returned to their offices to check on clients and rearrange travel schedules for those about to travel to the affected areas. Unfortunately, as communications in the area were badly affected there was little we could do in the immediate aftermath but wait and hope.

In the days that followed each news bulletin brought reports of unimaginable horror. As the statistics spiralled from thousands to tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, it slowly became clear that this was, in fact a global tragedy. Communities across the world, our own included, would be touched forever by what happened in a few minutes on December 26, 2004, in South-East Asia.

Relief was soon pouring into the affected areas from across the world - the UK public alone raised one third of a billion pounds before the appeal was finally closed at the end of February.

But what happens now? The Disasters and Emergency Committee (the official umbrella organisation covering 12 charities) has a three-year spending plan, but many in the region believe that real recovery will only begin when the tourists return.

No one in the affected area wants to live on handouts. They have a pride in their country, their region, their hotel, their bar, their souvenir stall. They need the dignity of earning a living but for many the only industry available to them is tourism.

The mental scars will remain for a long time, for some they will remain forever, but the sooner life can return to what it was like before the waves hit, then the easier it will be for people to face their demons and move on.

As far as the infrastructure and facilities are concerned, Sri Lanka has only 47 of its 248 hotels not operational. Although some of the key beach resorts are still closed, much of the island is now open for business.

The worst-hit tourist areas are Galle, Kaltara, and Matara on the west coast and Trincomalee on the east coast. The interior is unaffected and all main roads are open. For an update on the current situation plus post-tsunami pictures and video visit www.bouncebacksrilanka.org.

While Thailand still has a few small pockets that require a cautious approach, there are plenty of alternatives. The Foreign Office advises caution for visits to Ko Phi Phi and Khao Lak, but resorts are open in both. Some resorts in Phuket and Krabi are still closed but most are open. Further information is available from www.tatnews.org.

In the Maldives, around a quarter of resorts are currently closed, but only a handful will remain so for a significant length of time. The selective nature of the tsunami is illustrated by the fact that the Hilton Rangali noticed only an unusually high tide on Boxing Day, an experience repeated at many resorts throughout the island chain.

Yet just 30 minutes away by boat, White Sands Island resort was totally devastated. The worst-hit resorts are situated mostly on the eastern side of atolls. More detailed information is available from www.visitmaldives.com.

There are no additional health issues in any of the areas affected by the tsunami apart from Indonesia's Banda Aceh, which the World Health Authority still regards as a "no-go area" for tourists. Up-to-date health advice can be obtained from the Foreign Office website at www.fco.gov.uk.

The Indian Ocean is subject to earthquakes but according to seismologist Dr David Booth of the British Geological Survey most of the stress that had built up in the area over the past 200 years was dissipated on December 26. Although other earthquakes are possible in the future they are unlikely to be anything like as destructive.

South-East Asia is desperate for life to return to normal and in some areas that is happening quicker than expected. Occupancy levels in the Maldives were reported at 60 per cent by the end of February, and were expected to reach 80 per cent by the end of March.

If you were, or are still, considering holidaying in one of the affected regions, then I would urge you to seek proper advice and press ahead with your plans. Much of the affected area is functioning as normal and there are many attractive deals on offer. Above all, please don't avoid South-East Asia through some misguided sense of respect. You are sorely needed and you will be warmly welcomed.

Updated: 11:02 Wednesday, March 16, 2005