Tourism Thailand Acts to Boost International Tourist Safety Amid Decline

[spidermike007]

12 hours ago, StandardIssue said:

The real question is how would "improving tourist safety" actually look? What ACTUALLY could be done ACTUALLY? 

It is a near impossible task. Where would they start? Increase police numbers and implement new laws in every tourist area? 

 

Can you imagine what something like that, alone, would take? Years of work and to what end? Would all the boys in brown in your various provinces and locals suddenly change? Would they give up their positions and allow significantly more personell into their region? What about all the brown envelope schemes they currently have going, especially in tourist areas, Pattaya, Phuket and the like etc etc.

 

This alone would be a daunting and near impossible task, not to mention any other measures they might come up with.

 

Tourist safety will be as it is. Decisions by the PM or Parilment need to be carried out, this is the real challenge. Let's be serious, they can barely decide what to do with immigration policy let alone implement "safety" for tourists.

The one thing they could do to improve both tourist safety and public and traffic safety, would be to get the spectacularly lazy Highway Patrol to actually patrol the highways and start pulling people over for reckless driving, things would change overnight. 

 

50,000 baht on the spot fines. You can't pay it we impound your car. Find a minivan, fool. 

[StandardIssue]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The one thing they could do to improve both tourist safety and public and traffic safety, would be to get the spectacularly lazy Highway Patrol to actually patrol the highways and start pulling people over for reckless driving, things would change overnight. 

 

50,000 baht on the spot fines. You can't pay it we impound your car. Find a minivan, fool. 

Good idea, but again, how exactly do "they" do it? Who exactly would enforce the highway patrols prescience? Do "they" actually pay them more? Who would do it? Do the put in place quotas? Why is the highway patrol not patrolling the highways. How do "they" make them un-lazy? IMHO, very difficult to get into or understand the hierarchy of any Thai government org or business. What is really happening behind the scenes? The social order between Thai people is often difficult for westerners to understand.

[soi3eddie]

Safety of international tourists? Thailand doesn't give a rat's arse so long as they get the money first. 

[geisha]

17 hours ago, NemoH said:

Crime is rampant actually … it’s on all the social media sites. Not one day passes without major crime happening in addition to the brawls, counterfeit goods, scams….etc… most of these criminals are from the usual - drunken westerner and the usual Chinese criminals who by pass Thai laws from setting up fake business, fake goods, gambling etc… it’s all reported on social media news but not on main media…

 

It is correct to address crime to attract tourists but Thailand should also understand that the world economy is currently in turmoil and it is not a good rationale for any tourist to consider traveling during this period. Besides Thailand is also facing more competition from Vietnam beach resorts and also neighboring Malaysia and Philippines. Thailand is also getting expensive .. nice restaurants in Thailand are now charging like nice restaurants in Singapore - Eg. wine per glass is 350thb and above for hotels and nice restaurants. 
 

So not one factor decides the tourist numbers… 

Yes , 350 Baht for a glass of gut rot . That’s 10 € . The food in restaurants is also not as good as before, everything tastes cheap quality. 
Zero money invested in needed infrastructure, pavements good enough for wheelchairs and prams , traffic lights that are respected and pedestrian crossings that don’t get you killed . Police that do their job instead of scamming you, clean roads, regulated taxis, and I could go on and on.

Im sure someone will pipe up with “ if you want all that go somewhere else”.

But that attitude gets you nowhere today. Money is short for Europeans and Americans. It’s a long flight to Thailand . If they’re not careful, they will only get zero $ Chinese , grubby Indian men and nasty faced Russians. 
Shame, Thailand has been my home away from home for 40 years . I decided 2 years ago not to come back. I did last year , I’ll see next winter.

 

 

 

 

[Paul Henry]

A good start to increase tourism would be to get realistic with the value of the baht and the piracy of alcohol

pricing.Wine and good spirits are totally unrealistic.For get about the Trump tariffs good house keeping starts at home/

[kevozman1]

22 hours ago, NemoH said:

Crime is rampant actually … it’s on all the social media sites. Not one day passes without major crime happening in addition to the brawls, counterfeit goods, scams….etc… most of these criminals are from the usual - drunken westerner and the usual Chinese criminals who by pass Thai laws from setting up fake business, fake goods, gambling etc… it’s all reported on social media news but not on main media…

 

It is correct to address crime to attract tourists but Thailand should also understand that the world economy is currently in turmoil and it is not a good rationale for any tourist to consider traveling during this period. Besides Thailand is also facing more competition from Vietnam beach resorts and also neighboring Malaysia and Philippines. Thailand is also getting expensive .. nice restaurants in Thailand are now charging like nice restaurants in Singapore - Eg. wine per glass is 350thb and above for hotels and nice restaurants. 
 

So not one factor decides the tourist numbers… 

 

Define a 'major crime'?

[kevozman1]

If they want quality tourists, the obvious steps would be to drop the iron fist on full moon parties, the open flesh trade, protection of foreign tourists from attack and holding culprits accountable (not just a wai for assaulting people and it's all good but a prison sentence), and regulate tourists who are troublemakers with a blacklisting and deportation. However it's unlikely to happen. 

[ChipButty]

They could start by increasing the height of balcony railings to stop drunk farangs falling over, 

[superal]

8 hours ago, geisha said:

Yes , 350 Baht for a glass of gut rot . That’s 10 € . The food in restaurants is also not as good as before, everything tastes cheap quality. 
Zero money invested in needed infrastructure, pavements good enough for wheelchairs and prams , traffic lights that are respected and pedestrian crossings that don’t get you killed . Police that do their job instead of scamming you, clean roads, regulated taxis, and I could go on and on.

Im sure someone will pipe up with “ if you want all that go somewhere else”.

But that attitude gets you nowhere today. Money is short for Europeans and Americans. It’s a long flight to Thailand . If they’re not careful, they will only get zero $ Chinese , grubby Indian men and nasty faced Russians. 
Shame, Thailand has been my home away from home for 40 years . I decided 2 years ago not to come back. I did last year , I’ll see next winter.

 

 

 

 

Totally agree with you especially the majority of Thai pavements are tripping hazards . No provision for the disabled . No public toilets  etc etc . 

Thailand will never improve as long as corruption runs the way of life in Thailand . Allocated funds for projects are pilfered to the extent that work will be to low standards . EG , there are 2 main highways in my area that were built only 5 or 6 years ago . Every year they will have large sections re-surfaced because the initial construction was built below specification .