Phuket to crack down on illegal tour guides, companies
Suthicha Sirirat

Sunti Pawai,director of tourism and sport office and registrar of southern office tourism business and guide registration. Photo: Suthicha Sirirat.

PHUKET: Local officials plan to carry out a two week crack down of tour guides and tour companies beginning on Monday (September 8) to ensure that they are operating legally.

Tourism officials, backed by police and the Royal Thai Navy, will check all tour companies for legal documents while all guides must present their ID and registrations.

If officials come across unlicensed or illegal tour operators, they will have a second chance to come in to the office of Tourism and Sport in Phuket Town to resgister in accordance with the new policy from National Counsel for Peace and Order (NCPO).

Two weeks after the inspection, officials will strictly enforce the new rules to crack down on illegal operation of guides and tour companies. If found guilty, companies will be barred from regist. Foreign tour guides will immediately be arrested, in accordance with the new las that states tourism businesses are reserved for Thai citizens only.

The crack down was planned during a meeting on Thursday (September 4) between Santi Pawai, Registrar of Southern office Tourism Business and Guide Registration (TBGR), Cmdr. Pornprom Sukultem, of Royal Thai Navy Third Fleet Naval Area Command, along with local police, Navy troops and officials from Phuket Town.

Records indicate that there are about 1,601 registered tour companies and 4,428 registered tour guides in Phuket, according to the TBGR.

“We want to double check if these numbers still up to date,” Santi said.

Santi confirmed that from now on all tour companies must hire only Thai people as tour guides but admitted that he is aware of the on-going problems of Thai tour guides that charge higher rates to foreigners.

“Different rate of tour price cause the tour companies to seek illegal guides. This is a problem that we will work together with tour companies and guides to find a solution,” Santi said.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-to-crack-down-on-illegal-tour-guides-companies-48599.php

-- Phuket News 2014-09-06

Is part of the registration process a check to see if the "tour guide" can speak and successfully communicate in the language they claim to be proficient in?

Is part of the registration process a check to see if the "tour guide" can speak and successfully communicate in the language they claim to be proficient in?

Good point ,wonder who is doing the checking then

So that sort of contradicts what was said earlier that leeway would be given to teachers and tour guides.

When the General (as he was then) made the statements, I couldn't understand his reasoning, without actually changing the law, as tour guide is one of the protected occupations reserved for Thais.

Whether they speak the language of those they are looking after or not.

"Local officials plan to carry out a two week crack down of tour guides and tour companies beginning on Monday (September 8)"

I love how they always warn people in advance of a "crackdown"...

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I love how they always warn people in advance of a "crackdown"...

Well, it gives them the chance to have a set of copies ready for the officials.

The problem about this check though is that they're missing all the illegal 'companies' selling tours. They'll check the registered companies, and probably a few will be in violation, but all the people illegally offering trips on Facebook, all the taxi and tuktuk drivers illegally offering tours, those will not be affected.

Is part of the registration process a check to see if the "tour guide" can speak and successfully communicate in the language they claim to be proficient in?

Which would be Thai.

So that sort of contradicts what was said earlier that leeway would be given to teachers and tour guides.

When the General (as he was then) made the statements, I couldn't understand his reasoning, without actually changing the law, as tour guide is one of the protected occupations reserved for Thais.

Whether they speak the language of those they are looking after or not.

Yes, I remember thinking the same although it does seem the good general is, at least, endowed with common sense - a very uncommon commodity in this country, unfortunately.

So that sort of contradicts what was said earlier that leeway would be given to teachers and tour guides.

When the General (as he was then) made the statements, I couldn't understand his reasoning, without actually changing the law, as tour guide is one of the protected occupations reserved for Thais.

Whether they speak the language of those they are looking after or not.

That comment was concerning the ( most recent) crack down on tourist visa re entries, What Prayuth decided was the immigration officials should have more room for leeway and "not enforce the law strictly" as teachers and tour guides would be affected, so as to allow them to continue working illegally on tourist visas.

This opened up a bit of wiggle room so border officers to be able to get er, gifts.

Was a priceless glimpse into the new mentality of some rules to be enforced, others not.

Is part of the registration process a check to see if the "tour guide" can speak and successfully communicate in the language they claim to be proficient in?

Which would be Thai.

I think it would be Chinese and Russian mostly, English and some Korean, Japanese, etc etc etc

Nice of them to let them know when it will start, and how long it will last.

I was wondering when the next Crack Down would begin , its been hours now since the last one

Just another crackdown on businesses offering a better service, at a cheaper price, than their Thai competition. Typical Thai protectionism.

Nothing to see here folks - move along.

If this is anything like the alcohol ad crack down that was supposed to happen and never did, then there is nothing to worry about. And even if they are serious, there is still nothing to worry about. Business as usual in no time at all.

Hows about they have an ongoing crackdown on all illegal activities from traffic offences all the way up to graft - or as we call it, law enforcement.

I think these guys have some dice with all sorts of criminal offenses on them. Each week they roll them and whatever comes up is the "crackdown of the week". They announce when it starts and when it ends.

The stupidity makes me speechless. Thailand is dependent on tourism, and now they do everything they can to make the quality of the experience worse and worse for the tourists. They are begging the Chinese to visit Thailand, but the Chinese speak neither Thai or English. They speak CHINESE. There are almost no Thais in Phuket speaking good enough Chinese to be a tour guide for Chinese tourists. Thailand NEEDS foreign experts to move forward in every industry. Every successful country has used foreign expertise to a high degree. Third world countries and failed states are the ones who think they can do every thing them self. Why are Thais so scared of foreign knowledge, experience and expertise?