a b s t r a c t
This study describes tourists’ perceptions toward the importance of safety measures across tourists who
stay at different types of accommodation; compares the pre and post analysis of such safety measures
during normal time and six months after the disaster and identify safety measures that contribute the
most to the sense of beach safety. This study uses a survey, interviews, and observation. The target
population was inbound tourists traveling to Thai beaches. It was found that respondents who
participated in the survey six months after the March 2011 Japanese tsunami placed more importance on
almost all tsunami safety measures than those who did the survey six years after the Indian Ocean
tsunami. Guests at guest houses, placed the highest importance on all safety measures, whereas guests at
upscale hotels, placed the lowest importance. Moreover, perceptions of beach safety were dependent on
the availability of a tsunami evacuation system and a crisis management plan.