The Thais, with the biggest and most sophisticated tourist business in the region, are clearly aware of that. The following year it was patently clear how bad business was: hotels were empty; restaurant tables deserted; rental outlets had rows of bicycles waiting for non-existent cyclists. Nobody is making light of the huge human cost of the disaster, but for many people in the developing world no tourists this morning can mean no food on the table tonight.That certainly has been brought home to me on visits to Bali since the October 2002 terrorist bomb at Kuta Beach comprehensively scared tourists away. The Thai resort of Khao Lak, where a large proportion of the visitors were Scandinavians, was virtually wiped out. Meanwhile, Railay, a popular resort for scuba divers and rock climbers, was announcing on its website only a day after the tsunami that it was business as usual, although some of the beachfront restaurants were a bit short of chairs.That heartfelt plea from the Railay tourist operators - "don't go away, we're open for business" - is definitely an indication of a nagging fear. One of them posted a lengthy account on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree message board. More than 80 died in Nias, but for this visitor the whole thing seemed remarkably benign, water flooding in until the ground floor of his hotel was three feet under water, flooding out again, and returning just as gently at intervals all afternoon.Stories have been equally variable from other parts of the region.

On that occasion Radio Australia reported that "thousands of people have spent the night in the hills" because, even though "experts say the possibility of a tsunami is small" the islanders were "unconvinced".)A little to the south of Simeulue, the island of Nias has long attracted surfers, although there were very few of them there when the waves hit on the morning of 26 December. While the coastal town of Meulaboh, only 40 miles from the earthquake epicentre, looked as if it had been hit by a nuclear bomb, the offshore island of Simeulue escaped with only a handful of deaths. Although as close to the quake, and even though the tsunami wave destroyed 90 per cent of the buildings along the coast, the 70,000 islanders had followed their ancestors' advice in the event of an earthquake: "Run for your life." (They had been equally cautious two years ago after an earthquake in November 2002. Unlike the wall of water itself, the enormity of which was clear from the outset, the flow of information from the tsunami-devastated Indian Ocean coastline fluctuated between a delugeand a trickle. Only three days after the waves struck did photos start to appear from Indonesia's northern Aceh province, probably the most seriously devastated region of them all. In some cases the focus has been strictly tourist-related - a lot of attention has been focused on the beaches of Thailand and Sri Lanka because so many European tourists were there It was here that information channels were operating best. Having said that, I strongly suggest that you try to hold on for another few days at least, because airlines, tour operators and travel agents will be focusing their attentions and resources on those due to depart imminently.

The situation is changing so rapidly that it is impossible to look much further ahead. The airlines that have advised agents of their commercial policies regarding the disaster aftermath will review those policies as time passes.Will I be covered by travel insurance?Probably not - most policies exclude claims arising from "Acts of God" or "Force Majeure". However, if you have to cancel as a direct result of the disaster and you cannot reclaim all your money, you don't lose anything by pleading your case with the insurers.I am due to have a stopover in Bangkok on the way to Australia. Should I change my plans?Bangkok and Thailand's east (Gulf of Thailand) coast were unaffected by last week's awful events so I can see no reason to change your plans. When one hears that there has been a disaster in, for example, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Indonesia or even Sri Lanka, one's immediate reaction is to think that the whole country has been wiped out.With the exception of the Maldives (and even there damage to some resorts was minimal and they remained open), relatively limited areas were directly affected. Do some research in the days and weeks to come to see how things are at your intended destination or stopover points rather than succumbing to what might be a knee-jerk reaction.

Remember that in most destinations local people rely on tourism for their livelihood: everybody will be doing all they can to sort things out as quickly as possible.David Orkin is a writer and a former director of Quest Worldwide Travel. For example, to its credit, British Airways was one of the first to issue a statement on its policy regarding the disaster aftermath. However, at the time of writing, BA's policy statement only addresses passengers flying to or through the affected areas between now and 31 January. Though slower to react, the statement from Singapore Airlines applies to those travelling to or through the relevant areas between now and 31 March. Some airlines may allow rebooking but may not offer full refunds for cancellation. Some operators or agencies may levy amendment fees or cancellation charges.What if I am booked to travel to an affected area within the next few weeks?Things will continue to get back to normal and the full extent of the situation at each particular destination will soon be known. Although a number of tour operators, airlines and travel agents recalled some members of staff from their own Christmas/New Year holiday breaks, full staffing levels will return to normal only in the coming week.