7 More Tourist Centers To Be Opened In Big Cities: Thailand

[webfact]

7 more tourist centers to be opened in big cities

BANGKOK, 17 September 2012 (NNT) – The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is set to spend over 10 million baht to set up 7 more tourist centers in big cities across Thailand after receiving complaints of frauds and scams from tourists.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 7 more tourist centers will be set up to help tourists avoid scams and overpriced-products after the Ministry has received numerous complaints on the issues. Those centers will be set up at airports in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khonkaen, Hatyai, Samui Airport, and the city of Pattaya.

At present, there are only 2 tourist centers in Thailand, one at Donmuang and the other at Suvarnabhumi Airports.

Most complaints from the tourists have been in regard to over-priced products which travellers were duped by unscrupulous store owners or tourist guides into buying.

Additionally, nearly 100 officers will be on a 24-hour service to assist the tourists. The service will be provided in 4 languages: English, Korean, Chinese, and Russian.

-- NNT 2012-09-17

[Pimay1]

Are jet ski scams included?

[Theoutsider]

Here we go.

[davejones]

Are jet ski scams included?

Yes. If you've been scammed then I suggest you report it to the police instead of complaining on here.

[Rama]

Great. The scammers at the airports will now have an office to work out of.

[hanuman2543]

"The service will be provided in 4 languages: English, Korean, Chinese, and Russian."

[KireB]

Are jet ski scams included?

Yes. If you've been scammed then I suggest you report it to the police instead of complaining on here.

No need to report it to the police, you can go to the new tourist centers. Are you sure that the jet ski scams are included?

[Tropicalevo]

They have certainly thought this one through well.

So there you are - at the airport having just been scammed by the taxi drivers, jewellers, jet-ski owners, time share sellers etc etc. You have two hours to catch your flight. You go to the 'Tourist Centre' to report all of your problems and ......

.....there is a lot of paperwork to produce, details to be collected, names, descriptions etc etc. Your two hours are quickly gobbled up before you even get to the head of the queue. Even if you get to make your case, before you get to 'yes he is the one who did it'? you will be on a plane long before then.

[smokie36]

I love it!

[bkkjames]

Next they will be handing out a check-list along with the landing cards as your flight begins final approach.

[DDuval]

They have certainly thought this one through well.

So there you are - at the airport having just been scammed by the taxi drivers, jewellers, jet-ski owners, time share sellers etc etc. You have two hours to catch your flight. You go to the 'Tourist Centre' to report all of your problems and ......

.....there is a lot of paperwork to produce, details to be collected, names, descriptions etc etc. Your two hours are quickly gobbled up before you even get to the head of the queue. Even if you get to make your case, before you get to 'yes he is the one who did it'? you will be on a plane long before then.

and dont forget. When you say do you speak English??? They look at you like you asked them for a Million dollars

[BookMan]

They have certainly thought this one through well.

So there you are - at the airport having just been scammed by the taxi drivers, jewellers, jet-ski owners, time share sellers etc etc. You have two hours to catch your flight. You go to the 'Tourist Centre' to report all of your problems and ......

.....there is a lot of paperwork to produce, details to be collected, names, descriptions etc etc. Your two hours are quickly gobbled up before you even get to the head of the queue. Even if you get to make your case, before you get to 'yes he is the one who did it'? you will be on a plane long before then.

Genius really

[Pimay1]

Are jet ski scams included?

Yes. If you've been scammed then I suggest you report it to the police instead of complaining on here.

Thanks, great advice. Should I report it to the police who are in business with the scammers? New to Thailand are we?

Edited September 17, 2012 by Pimay1

[Basil B]

Well the one for Pattayas will be easy to find, just look for a very long queue...

If you are thinking about complaining best bring a tent, sleeping bag and rations for a week or so.

[madmitch]

So the busiest tourist location in Thailand, Phuket, doesn't get one of these new tourist centres.

Most likely vetoed by the local "influential people".

[54321]

They have certainly thought this one through well.

So there you are - at the airport having just been scammed by the taxi drivers, jewellers, jet-ski owners, time share sellers etc etc. You have two hours to catch your flight. You go to the 'Tourist Centre' to report all of your problems and ......

.....there is a lot of paperwork to produce, details to be collected, names, descriptions etc etc. Your two hours are quickly gobbled up before you even get to the head of the queue. Even if you get to make your case, before you get to 'yes he is the one who did it'? you will be on a plane long before then.

If you have a serious complaint I would imagine you would turn up to the airport early to report it, or rather go to the airport to file the complaint as soon as practically possible, not leave it just before your flight home.

[Mosha]

Perhaps outgoing flights could announce this initiative. This would complement the incoming flights announcing do not bring counterfeit goods into Thailand.

PS Hatyai may want Malay/Yawi speakers

Edited September 17, 2012 by Mosha

[RubbaJohnny]

"The service will be provided in 4 languages: English, Korean, Chinese, and Russian."

Handy maybe one of the fluent Russian speakers can tell me where I can fly internationally from C Rai International Airport? C mai and Don Muang don't feel exotic enough.Please warn when Korean seakers arrive I'll buy some earmuffery for Muffy

[asiawatcher]

Would love a definition of a "Tourist Centre".

[BigC]

In thiory this should help tourists as the Thai police are not trained to deal with foreigners and the forigners haven't a clue how the system works which makes commincation a serious problem

the problem is with these tourist centers. If they are paid to help one go through the step by step proceedure which there are many and many types then great but something tells me it shall not work. infacrt that is what the tourist police should be doing so why need tourist centers. Is the government admitting that the Tourist police do not work.

I just do not underrsstand why they have tourist centers and tourist police which are both aimed at providing the same thing????

or have they simpey changed their names from tourist police to tourist centers. if that is so then they should have tourist centers in phuket samui pattaya chaing mai

anywhere. infasct these forang police should really not be labelled as police ass they do not have the power of real police. Maybe if they were call something like forang center officors or something then people might warm to them more personally i think they are usless as road filled with pot holes but what ever

[mrtoad]

Khon Kaen? A real big tourist destination.

[hellodolly]

Well makes no difference if they are a good idea or not. Here in Chiang Mai we have a large area very popular to the tourists. Why do they not open it up where the tourists are.

In the night bazaar we have a tourist police shack Can't rightly remember seeing any one in it. Some of the ideas they come up with I know for sure are never thought out and would be wiling to bet on a quiz for what profession you are best suited for they would come up with paper doll cutting. Not really

[dighambara]

In Thailand the world is truly upside-down.

According to Official Thai Immigration statistics last year, foreigners, on one year visas, constitute around 9% of the population at large. Children of foreigners were not included.

Simple math then tells us that those foreign residents bring in more money to the Thai Economy, than tourists.

So, it is not tourist centers that are needed, but foreign residence offices to help foreigners settle here...

Yes, heaven forbid - Logic in Thailand...LOL

[madmitch]

In Thailand the world is truly upside-down.

According to Official Thai Immigration statistics last year, foreigners, on one year visas, constitute around 9% of the population at large. Children of foreigners were not included.

Simple math then tells us that those foreign residents bring in more money to the Thai Economy, than tourists.

So, it is not tourist centers that are needed, but foreign residence offices to help foreigners settle here...

Yes, heaven forbid - Logic in Thailand...LOL

6 million farangs on one year visas? I don't believe it.

Do you have a link to these stats?

And as for your penultimate sentence, they don't want foreigners to settle here, so there's no way they would supply any specific help.

[robsamui]

Yes, indeed, the logic - or complete lack of it - is hard to grasp.

Like setting up a complaints kiosk in the boiler room of the Titanic after she hit the iceberg.

The only possible thinking behind facilitating complaints from tourists at an airport is that the authorities have no intention of actually doing anything about it.

This would seem to be be confirmed by the choice of locations. Apart from Samui, the other airports are not in or near the populated areas, discouraging people from making the trek all the way out to complain.

Then there's no mention at all of the longest-established and biggest tourism centre - Phuket.

And are there really more Russians and Koreans in Thailand than Germans? (It's far too sensible to suggest that the reason German isn't one of the languages is because they can all speak English anyway . . . )

What an astonishing country this is.

R

Edited September 18, 2012 by robsamui

[SOTIRIOS]

..a lot of good that will do....

...I have been 'downtown'....the booths I have come across are often unmanned or closed......great help...and if your life depends on it.....

[hellodolly]

In Thailand the world is truly upside-down.

According to Official Thai Immigration statistics last year, foreigners, on one year visas, constitute around 9% of the population at large. Children of foreigners were not included.

Simple math then tells us that those foreign residents bring in more money to the Thai Economy, than tourists.

So, it is not tourist centers that are needed, but foreign residence offices to help foreigners settle here...

Yes, heaven forbid - Logic in Thailand...LOL

Well you challenge their logic not the numbers they are based on. 9% would mean one out of eleven is a long term resident. I really don't believe those figures. I highly doubt that figure is even close to the true number. Perhaps 9% of the spending.