2013年11月23日星期六
Scams, accidents scare away tourists
Scams, accidents scare away tourists
Pattaya city is a key destination for Russian tourists.
Thailand's attractiveness to foreign tourists is under threat from fraud and poor safety standards.
After a recent bus accident in Chon Buri that injured 26 Russian tourists, the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI) recently urged Thai authorities to improve safety standards, or face a possible boycott by its members.
Narin Tijayung, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s office in Moscow, said the RUTI submitted a letter addressed to the Tourism Ministry via the office calling for concise, practical measures to ensure the safety of Russian tourists in the Kingdom.
The RUTI also reportedly demanded the Thai government solve these issues by the end of November, otherwise it will consider taking action to maintain the safety of Russian citizens. This action could include cancellation of all scheduled charter flights from Russia throughout the period of December 2013 to March 2014.
If the cancellations go ahead, other countries in the region - such as Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam - would be picked as destinations instead of Thailand, the letter reportedly warned.
Officials from the TAT and the ministries of Tourism and Transport will hold a meeting on November 26 to discuss the Russian complaints, according to Transport Minister Somsak Pureesrisak.
In the first 10 months of this year, Thailand welcomed 791,755 Russian tourists or 5.72 per cent of 13.85 million visitor arrivals at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, according to the TAT. The number rose 33.84 per cent from last year.
Meanwhile, the Department of Special Investigation will inspect 20 jewellery shops in Greater Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Samui and other locations after the Tourism Ministry reported complaints of price gouging and cheating of foreign customers.
Permanent secretary Suwat Sidthilaw said yesterday after submitting the ministry's request for a probe to Tarit Pengdith, director-general of the DSI, that at least 20 tourists have filed complaints of being duped. The latest case was a Portuguese national who was fooled into buying fake jewellery from a Bangkok shop, so the DSI must take action against these daring con artists. He said the practice of selling overpriced products to foreign visitors was damaging to the jewellery business, which was a key source of income for the country, contributing Bt2 billion-Bt3 billion a year.
Tarit said the DSI would now seriously crack down on these offenders - who often changed the names of the shops and owners but rarely the location - and the tour guides and tuk-tuk drivers who act as their accomplices. The DSI already has a list of some 20 suspicious jewellery shops to check out. The agency would soon join with the Tourism Ministry to open an operations centre to stamp out the racketeers targeting tourists, he added.
~News courtesy of The Nation~
Pattaya city is a key destination for Russian tourists.
Thailand's attractiveness to foreign tourists is under threat from fraud and poor safety standards.
After a recent bus accident in Chon Buri that injured 26 Russian tourists, the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI) recently urged Thai authorities to improve safety standards, or face a possible boycott by its members.
Narin Tijayung, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s office in Moscow, said the RUTI submitted a letter addressed to the Tourism Ministry via the office calling for concise, practical measures to ensure the safety of Russian tourists in the Kingdom.
The RUTI also reportedly demanded the Thai government solve these issues by the end of November, otherwise it will consider taking action to maintain the safety of Russian citizens. This action could include cancellation of all scheduled charter flights from Russia throughout the period of December 2013 to March 2014.
If the cancellations go ahead, other countries in the region - such as Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam - would be picked as destinations instead of Thailand, the letter reportedly warned.
Officials from the TAT and the ministries of Tourism and Transport will hold a meeting on November 26 to discuss the Russian complaints, according to Transport Minister Somsak Pureesrisak.
In the first 10 months of this year, Thailand welcomed 791,755 Russian tourists or 5.72 per cent of 13.85 million visitor arrivals at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, according to the TAT. The number rose 33.84 per cent from last year.
Meanwhile, the Department of Special Investigation will inspect 20 jewellery shops in Greater Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Samui and other locations after the Tourism Ministry reported complaints of price gouging and cheating of foreign customers.
Permanent secretary Suwat Sidthilaw said yesterday after submitting the ministry's request for a probe to Tarit Pengdith, director-general of the DSI, that at least 20 tourists have filed complaints of being duped. The latest case was a Portuguese national who was fooled into buying fake jewellery from a Bangkok shop, so the DSI must take action against these daring con artists. He said the practice of selling overpriced products to foreign visitors was damaging to the jewellery business, which was a key source of income for the country, contributing Bt2 billion-Bt3 billion a year.
Tarit said the DSI would now seriously crack down on these offenders - who often changed the names of the shops and owners but rarely the location - and the tour guides and tuk-tuk drivers who act as their accomplices. The DSI already has a list of some 20 suspicious jewellery shops to check out. The agency would soon join with the Tourism Ministry to open an operations centre to stamp out the racketeers targeting tourists, he added.
~News courtesy of The Nation~
2013年11月20日星期三
Would a Bt500 fee scare off tourists?
Would a Bt500 emergency-coverage fee scare off tourists?
The government's attempt to launch a new regulation to collect an entry fee from foreign tourists to cover their emergency medical services could prompt tourists to choose destinations in other countries.
The concern, raised by the Tourism Council of Thailand, comes after the Public Health Ministry proposed a plan to collect Bt500 as a fee for entering the country from foreign tourists staying in Thailand from three to 30 days; and Bt30 for less than three days. The fee would be used to support a ministry programme providing emergency medical services for foreign tourists.
v According to Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong, currently the ministry has to shoulder about Bt200 million to Bt300 million as the financial burden for providing emergency medical services for foreign tourists.
Each year, the ministry estimates that about 23 million foreign tourists from around the world visit Thailand. It expected that if the plan to collect a fee for entering the country were approved by the Cabinet, the ministry would be able to collect about Bt10 billion.
This money would be used to support the ministry's budget to provide emergency medical services for foreign tourists suffering serious illness or injury. Under this plan, each foreign patient would be covered by Bt200,000 to Bt300,000 in emergency care. This budget would also be used to develop healthcare units and procure medical devices.
"They [foreign patients] must pay to enter the country because they have to use our medical resources," Pradit said.
The ministry is now discussing with related agencies - the National Security Council, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Tourism and Sport Ministry, Labour Ministry and Immigration Bureau - to find appropriate ways to collect the fees.
If the agencies come up with a good plan, it will be deliberated by the Cabinet before the Office of the Prime Minister makes an announcement.
But Tourism Council of Thailand president Piyaman Tejapaibul does not believe this plan would benefit the tourism industry. Instead of attracting more and more tourists to visit our country, the plan would hurt tourist figures, Piyaman said.
"Each year Thailand gets a lot of revenue from the tourism industry - but the government has never used money from this industry to develop and support tourism," she said.
Currently, many tourists bring their own travel insurance from private insurance agencies in case of unexpected accident or illness, covering them for medical services in the destination country. Some countries require travellers to attach their health insurance when applying for a visa, so that they do not have to shoulder the burden of paying fees for medical services at their destination.
"We want good tourists to visit Thailand - not the [type of tourist] who does not want to enter because he or she has to pay Bt500 as an entrance fee," Pradit said. He added that European countries and the US have supported the government in collecting entrance fees from their tourists, as they see that the plan would reduce risks for their citizens travelling abroad.
~News courtesy of The Nation~
The government's attempt to launch a new regulation to collect an entry fee from foreign tourists to cover their emergency medical services could prompt tourists to choose destinations in other countries.
The concern, raised by the Tourism Council of Thailand, comes after the Public Health Ministry proposed a plan to collect Bt500 as a fee for entering the country from foreign tourists staying in Thailand from three to 30 days; and Bt30 for less than three days. The fee would be used to support a ministry programme providing emergency medical services for foreign tourists.
v According to Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong, currently the ministry has to shoulder about Bt200 million to Bt300 million as the financial burden for providing emergency medical services for foreign tourists.
Each year, the ministry estimates that about 23 million foreign tourists from around the world visit Thailand. It expected that if the plan to collect a fee for entering the country were approved by the Cabinet, the ministry would be able to collect about Bt10 billion.
This money would be used to support the ministry's budget to provide emergency medical services for foreign tourists suffering serious illness or injury. Under this plan, each foreign patient would be covered by Bt200,000 to Bt300,000 in emergency care. This budget would also be used to develop healthcare units and procure medical devices.
"They [foreign patients] must pay to enter the country because they have to use our medical resources," Pradit said.
The ministry is now discussing with related agencies - the National Security Council, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Tourism and Sport Ministry, Labour Ministry and Immigration Bureau - to find appropriate ways to collect the fees.
If the agencies come up with a good plan, it will be deliberated by the Cabinet before the Office of the Prime Minister makes an announcement.
But Tourism Council of Thailand president Piyaman Tejapaibul does not believe this plan would benefit the tourism industry. Instead of attracting more and more tourists to visit our country, the plan would hurt tourist figures, Piyaman said.
"Each year Thailand gets a lot of revenue from the tourism industry - but the government has never used money from this industry to develop and support tourism," she said.
Currently, many tourists bring their own travel insurance from private insurance agencies in case of unexpected accident or illness, covering them for medical services in the destination country. Some countries require travellers to attach their health insurance when applying for a visa, so that they do not have to shoulder the burden of paying fees for medical services at their destination.
"We want good tourists to visit Thailand - not the [type of tourist] who does not want to enter because he or she has to pay Bt500 as an entrance fee," Pradit said. He added that European countries and the US have supported the government in collecting entrance fees from their tourists, as they see that the plan would reduce risks for their citizens travelling abroad.
~News courtesy of The Nation~
Koh Samet expected to recover popularity soon
Tourism sector expects Samet to recover popularity soon
THE TOURISM outlook for Koh Samet will be on a full recovery path by the end of next year after tourists gain more confidence in the island, which was hit by the oil leak on Ao Phrao beach at the end of July.
Chairat Trirattanajarasporn, chairman of the Rayong Tourist Association, said yesterday that the island was expected to see 10 per cent more tourism revenue next year. However, this scenario would be based on the continuing arrival of the island's regular foreign tourists from Scandinavia and Britain, and also new groups of Russians and Chinese.
More important, all parties will have to work together to restore tourists' confidence. Especially key foreign travel agents and media outlets must be invited to the island to receive on-the-scene information to improve its image.
About 700,000 tourists visit Koh Samet annually and 80 of them are Thais. Tourism revenue was projected at Bt4 billion this year, a slight drop from last year.
In Rayong province, of which Samet is a part, tourism was hit harder. The eastern province's tourism revenue was expected to drop to Bt20 billion this year from Bt22 billion last year when more than 5 million tourists visited the province.
Fortunately, the oil crisis hit during the low season, he said.
A subsidised campaign to lure tourists from other regions to visit the island launched by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), PTT Global Chemical (which was responsible for the oil leak) and tourism associations has helped offset the missing tourists.
This month, the average occupancy rate is 50 per cent, against 70 per cent during normal periods.
Its prospects for the long holiday next month and the New Year celebration are projected to be positive, but still far from regular times when rooms are almost all full.
Tourists are not staying at Ao Phrao, the area that was hit by the oil leak. Instead, they go to other beaches, especially Ao Wongduan and Sai Kaew. The island has 2,000 rooms to welcome tourists.
But Santi Chudintra, executive director of the TAT's eastern region, said the whole island was safe for tourists. Its scenery has been improved via a joint effort of all parties. It is ready to welcome tourists, and Ao Phrao was reopened officially on November 1.
From December 6-11, Rayong province will host a marine-travel festival to stimulate Hat Ban Phe and Koh Samet, with activities and seafood promotions. It is the 13th annual event and could revive the confidence of tourists.
~News courtesy of The Nation~
THE TOURISM outlook for Koh Samet will be on a full recovery path by the end of next year after tourists gain more confidence in the island, which was hit by the oil leak on Ao Phrao beach at the end of July.
Chairat Trirattanajarasporn, chairman of the Rayong Tourist Association, said yesterday that the island was expected to see 10 per cent more tourism revenue next year. However, this scenario would be based on the continuing arrival of the island's regular foreign tourists from Scandinavia and Britain, and also new groups of Russians and Chinese.
More important, all parties will have to work together to restore tourists' confidence. Especially key foreign travel agents and media outlets must be invited to the island to receive on-the-scene information to improve its image.
About 700,000 tourists visit Koh Samet annually and 80 of them are Thais. Tourism revenue was projected at Bt4 billion this year, a slight drop from last year.
In Rayong province, of which Samet is a part, tourism was hit harder. The eastern province's tourism revenue was expected to drop to Bt20 billion this year from Bt22 billion last year when more than 5 million tourists visited the province.
Fortunately, the oil crisis hit during the low season, he said.
A subsidised campaign to lure tourists from other regions to visit the island launched by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), PTT Global Chemical (which was responsible for the oil leak) and tourism associations has helped offset the missing tourists.
This month, the average occupancy rate is 50 per cent, against 70 per cent during normal periods.
Its prospects for the long holiday next month and the New Year celebration are projected to be positive, but still far from regular times when rooms are almost all full.
Tourists are not staying at Ao Phrao, the area that was hit by the oil leak. Instead, they go to other beaches, especially Ao Wongduan and Sai Kaew. The island has 2,000 rooms to welcome tourists.
But Santi Chudintra, executive director of the TAT's eastern region, said the whole island was safe for tourists. Its scenery has been improved via a joint effort of all parties. It is ready to welcome tourists, and Ao Phrao was reopened officially on November 1.
From December 6-11, Rayong province will host a marine-travel festival to stimulate Hat Ban Phe and Koh Samet, with activities and seafood promotions. It is the 13th annual event and could revive the confidence of tourists.
~News courtesy of The Nation~
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