Protecting tourism demands commitment

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL
Protecting tourism demands commitment
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Hauling off one beach thug shouldn't be regarded as a lasting solution

Italian cities are well known among tourists for their gangs of pickpockets. In India it's the beggars who swarm visitors in alarming fashion. Thailand has its fair share of cautionary tales for tourists, and some of them are considerably scarier.

In one recent incident, caught on video and widely shared online, a man working for one of the countless beach-chair rental services in Pattaya takes umbrage with a western sunbather for sitting on her blanket rather than renting a chair. He circles her, gently kicking sand onto the blanket, and then gets pushy when she rises in protest.

In the age of social networking, just one such incident eclipses the positive effect that a thousand Thai smiles have on the tourism industry. Viewers of this video will care little or not at all that the authorities quickly arrested the thug, and they'll still be watching it years from now, heedless of when it was taken.

The reputation of Thailand's once-idyllic beaches is by now badly marred by such images of greedy and aggressive chair-for-rent operators whose staff intimidate and chase off tourists when they refuse to play by their rules on "their turf".

The government has vowed to bring a semblance of order to the tourist beaches, but the deep roots of these problems temper our

optimism. They will require more than flash-in-the-pan measures to solve.

The sand-kicking incident seems paltry compared to far worse experiences tourists have had here, but it serves right now to shine a bright light on the various issues undermining the industry.

First is the lack of proper regulation and control. Obviously, a better-regulated tourism industry would simply not allow such ugly incidents to happen.

There must be countless other cases of aggression and intimidation that we don't know about, probably because no one videotaped them or the tourists involved chose not to report them.

The second issue is the exploitative mentality of the businesspeople who focus solely on immediate profits while ignoring the longer term. The rationale is that foreigners can be intimidated into paying up because they'll go back home tomorrow and will invariably be replaced by another batch.

People will always go to Italy and India. No thought is given to the cumulative knock-on effects of this when the beleaguered tourists spread the word.

This mentality just creates a multitude of other problems.

Tourists are routinely overcharged in this country. Illegal businesses operate with impunity and have thus multiplied like mushrooms, despite the cutthroat competition that often leads to violence.

It must be noted, too, that Thais tend to be "overconfident" when it comes to the very scenery that draws Westerners here - the beaches, the mountains, the temples included. As long as these remain, the tourists will keep coming, no matter how tainted the country's reputation becomes. This is dangerously flawed logic.

If Thais are renowned in general for being gracious hosts, there is also a lack of political will to preserve that reputation.

Our policies and regulations are formulated and enforced according to the belief that the tourism industry is "too big to fail".

Too often we are content with quick-fix responses to unfavourable occurrences. When overpricing is in the headlines, someone gets slapped and policy is quickly amended - only for the changes to be rescinded or forgotten in short order. The same pattern can be seen as the seriousness of the issue rises - with increasingly tragic consequences - from robbery to rape to murder.

Our tourism industry, such a substantial pillar of the economy, depends to a great extent on the beaches.

Our policy towards the mistreatment of visitors cannot be built on sand.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Protecting-tourism-demands-commitment-30243169.html

-- The Nation 2014-09-13

[clockman]

The golden goose is dying!

[hanuman2543]

Immediately stop overcharging tourists at National Parks as a leading example .

Edited September 13, 2014 by hanuman2543

[FireMedic]

This place would be so great if they fixed these things. It's off to a great start and I hope the good General can keep it going.

[PaulHamon]

yabe

Thailand is a large rubbish bin... trash everywhere...

It's not really that pretty anymore when you look around...

Maybe if you here for only 10 days, in and out, you can ignore, avoid it...

SAD

[alant]

Quire liked this piece, in most I would agree. I am not sure about regulation however as sooner or later the regulation and or laws are ignored or bypassed, possibly with incentives to allow the bypassing. Maybe it has gone too far but I would like the solution to be the LOS to be just that where tourists happily paid reasonable bits of money from smiling helpful Thais making their holiday memorable/.

If not there are emerging destinations willing and eager to take visitors.

[hanuman2543]

What happened to the special " Tourist Courts"? Sad enough that something like this is necessary in the first place, but do they ever get started with them or was this idea only the usual smoke and mirrors tactics?

[reiltin]

Tourists will never truly be protected in Thailand when it's own people are at the mercy of those they fear be it a corrupt police force,outdated legislature and blatant inequity in how the laws are applied if applied at all under the dead hand of Thai bureaucracy.When the ordinary thai gets a better deal perhaps the guests of the nation will too.The tourist suffers a fortnight the locals a lifetime.

[robertthebruce]

Tourists will never truly be protected in Thailand when it's own people are at the mercy of those they fear be it a corrupt police force,outdated legislature and blatant inequity in how the laws are applied if applied at all under the dead hand of Thai bureaucracy.When the ordinary thai gets a better deal perhaps the guests of the nation will too.The tourist suffers a fortnight the locals a lifetime.

Excellent comment and very true......

[Just1Voice]

Here's an observation I've made before. One third of the land mass of Myanmar (Burma) is Ocean Front property that is, for now un-developed. A few have started, and more will come. The beaches will be much cleaner than those in Thailand, and if they keep out the mafia and other crap, they will grow and basically stick a very sharp knife in the heart of Thailand "beach tourism". I give it 5 years, or less, before Myanmar buries Thailand for that tourism.

[razer]

Been saying this for years. Will it ever change?

[klikster]

Here's an observation I've made before. One third of the land mass of Myanmar (Burma) is Ocean Front property that is, for now un-developed. A few have started, and more will come. The beaches will be much cleaner than those in Thailand, and if they keep out the mafia and other crap, they will grow and basically stick a very sharp knife in the heart of Thailand "beach tourism". I give it 5 years, or less, before Myanmar buries Thailand for that tourism.

Agree -- Mergui Archipelago -- hundreds of islands.

[impulse]

Take care of the tourists....

And tourism will take care of itself.

[Ulic]

Things could be much improved if they just picked/cleaned up the garbage. Plastic bags, plastic bottles, building materials.

Just clean up the mess and put some pride into the countries appearance. Americas highways used to be covered in a layer

of litter in the 60's and while maybe not pristine now it has greatly improved.

[timewilltell]

Here's an observation I've made before. One third of the land mass of Myanmar (Burma) is Ocean Front property that is, for now un-developed. A few have started, and more will come. The beaches will be much cleaner than those in Thailand, and if they keep out the mafia and other crap, they will grow and basically stick a very sharp knife in the heart of Thailand "beach tourism". I give it 5 years, or less, before Myanmar buries Thailand for that tourism.

You said what I think too. It is deeper than that though, affecting most aspects of society in Thailand. Education, justice, equal treatment of citizens including visitors and people making Thailand their home, business, work ethic leading to either poverty or relative wealth. All these areas are in decline in Thailand when compared to its neighbors.

The demise is like the beginning stages of cancer, invisible! Thai people gave been living in a cocoon of poverty and ignorance, happy from their ignorance, benefitting from the kick start in its infrastructure from the 1960's and continued investment feeding from that. They cannot yet see the tigers on their borders who are hungry to develop and not so proud to be so introvertly protectionist and delusional.

Thailand has raped the fruits of the land and benefits and become comfortably numb. It needs to wake up fast to the world outside before it is enslaved and impoverished. There is so much talent here that is under educated and brainwashed into under performance. Please wake up Thailand and energise your potential. Educate your people, teach them ethics and business sense and eradicate the selfishness and corruption, treating every person with equality and respect, and you will become as successful as Singapore with even greater potential.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

Edited September 13, 2014 by timewilltell

[Benmart]

Good article.

When the tourist is scammed or otherwise taken advantage of it is another nail in the coffin of Thai tourism.

When the scammers are comprised of ill-educated, unregulated, unsupervised, dishonest and short-sighted thugs, then the cycle continues.

I've discreetly warned several dozens of tourists to be wary of the vultures on Pattaya Beach. I will continue to do so very carefully, as I know the vultures have sharp beaks and talons.

[Oziex1]

Here's an observation I've made before. One third of the land mass of Myanmar (Burma) is Ocean Front property that is, for now un-developed. A few have started, and more will come. The beaches will be much cleaner than those in Thailand, and if they keep out the mafia and other crap, they will grow and basically stick a very sharp knife in the heart of Thailand "beach tourism". I give it 5 years, or less, before Myanmar buries Thailand for that tourism.

Myanmar has been under rule of corrupt and greedy military for years, sadly that example is the breeding ground for the future entrepreneurs (crooks) of their tourist industry, add to that misguided tourists amazed at the exchange rate over tipping and even throwing wads of cash into the air to watch the poor people scramble for it. You then repeat the evolution of the Thailand tourist industry, see it before it gets Thaied up.

[seajae]

good story and so true. The thugs and rip off merchants that converge on tourists here is beyond a joke, double pricing plus, higher costs for everything, the locals simply cannot see beyond the quick profits from ripping them off. As long as govt officials are involved it will not end, they turn a blind eye to what is happening, some even have family members running the operations yet the govt does nothing, police are caught up in it with their shady deals too, no single part of the thai society is immune to the corruption being exploited on the travelling holiday makers or ex pats for that matter.

It will eventually cause tourism to slow right down and if neighbouring countries start to offer better deals and cleaner beaches, no corruption, good pricing then thai tourism will come to a stand still, then the country will be in real trouble as they will lose their golden egg due entirely to their backward thinking.

[chumpy]

Phuket now has a big water quality problem,for example I was at karon beach last week when suddenly a dark brown mass of water started coming our way,it smelled of sewage and it was coming out of a river about 2 kilometers away at the north end of the bay,by the time I left the sewage slick was covering about half of karon beach bay which is a very big area.A local expat told me that this happens on a regular basis,the stuff builds up in the river and is then suddenly all released.

Then at another location,that is Nai Harn beach,behind this beach is a lake from which water flows into the sea,this lake water looks absolutely disgusting and is full of garbage,it looks really nice for the tourists who drive alongside this lake to get to the beach.I have heard of similar water quality problems at other beaches like Bang Tao,Patong,Nai Yang,Rawai,Chalong bay and the list goes on and on,soon we will be surrounded by a mass of sewage.

It's nice of the authorities to clean up the beach but these water quality problems are more serious and a very real threat to tourism,negative news spreads fast on the internet.

It's funny how the Phuket Thais are in masse driving around in their shiny new expensive cars and are totally oblivious to this threat to their livelihoods,then you hear about these huge new investments to set up new shopping centres,could these people perhaps set aside a small part of their budget to invest in a water treatment system on which they could put their name and gain some good publicity?or is there too much logic in that?,there doesn't seem to be much civic responsibility.

Edited September 15, 2014 by metisdead
Italics removed.

[BlackJack]

yearly visa

reporting every 90 days

makes one feel like a tourist

buying a condo and never being able to have any real power ie 49% of the total

having a business and only owning 49%

yes one would always feel like a tourist

[JohnThailandJohn]

Good, Fresh, Fun and Modern way to promote and bring awareness to this volunteer group ... so naturally this should bring out the old grumpy bigoted faux experts on everything posters to spread their doom and gloom.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Interesting some people think the Tourist Police are some special division to help tourists as if actual police are there to help Thai citizens .... Tourist police spend most of their time helping locking up the drunken unruly tourists just as police are looking for people to lock up rather than help specific people who are lost or need help crossing the street or even recovering stolen property. The Tourist Police are there to help the Thai Police when it comes to dealing with Tourists. Government across the world promote the police as being their to help, protect and serve but the bottom line is they spend the majority of their time locking up and ticketing the individuals within the public not helping specific individuals. While there are certainly a good number of very caring and concerned police, it also attacks a certain type of personality which is often the Rambo, low self-esteem craving for power type folks.

Thailand is a place that I enjoy because to a large extent you need to take care of yourself and beyond many foreigners I see posting here, most people don't want a western nanny or police state where people lives are controlled and they are not free to make decisions even if they are viewed as stupid like not wearing a helmet.

[h90]

Today Suvanabumi Airport. Taxidriver tells where I go is outside Bangkok (no it not) and there is a fix charge not meter for going there.

The complain paper needs a stamp (3 Baht) and be brought to the post office....no email address.....

Taxi driver made the impression to me that he might threaten other guest. But I am male and fit, speaking some Thai, driving past a security who takes his ID card to a company with a couple of man who tried to help me with the luggage prevented such ideas. But he ranted all the driving.

That isn't quality tourism....

[h90]

Interesting some people think the Tourist Police are some special division to help tourists as if actual police are there to help Thai citizens .... Tourist police spend most of their time helping locking up the drunken unruly tourists just as police are looking for people to lock up rather than help specific people who are lost or need help crossing the street or even recovering stolen property. The Tourist Police are there to help the Thai Police when it comes to dealing with Tourists. Government across the world promote the police as being their to help, protect and serve but the bottom line is they spend the majority of their time locking up and ticketing the individuals within the public not helping specific individuals. While there are certainly a good number of very caring and concerned police, it also attacks a certain type of personality which is often the Rambo, low self-esteem craving for power type folks.

Thailand is a place that I enjoy because to a large extent you need to take care of yourself and beyond many foreigners I see posting here, most people don't want a western nanny or police state where people lives are controlled and they are not free to make decisions even if they are viewed as stupid like not wearing a helmet.

Additional to get promoted you need to pay....the honest policeman will be in a low position forever. All the high policeman are automatically corrupt, else they wouldn't be at that position.

The only solution would be to retire all, or at least all the higher police and replace them with army and than start fresh with new schools and international help (which shouldn't be USA).

[ToddinChonburi]

What !!!!!

[bangon04]

This article, like so many others, highlights the simple fact that Thailand can have as many bureaucratic regulations as it wants to write, but Thai people know that the law enforcement is not fit for purpose. The Royal Thai Police are a national disgrace and an international joke.

Moreover, the majority of Thai people apparently do not care enough about this fact to do much about it....

[joebrown]

Not far from where I live there's a 9 hole golf course. It's generally well kept and there are caddies, buggies etc. That's OK, but if a farang doesn't want a caddie he/she can't play there. Thais can play with or without a caddie, which is discrimination! Oh, I forgot to add that Thais get a discounted fee to play after 4pm. This discounted fee is only 50bht for 9 holes. Farangs have to pay 6 times more at this time of day for the same game!! The PM General wouldn't have to look any further than the end of his nose to find out which commercial tourist friendly organisation controls this golf course. It makes double pricing at National Parks look like pinching kids' pocket money!

[Thai at Heart]

Its not just about tourism, which is the icing on the cake.

Don't Thais want to live in clean, safe, organised, prosperous places too? So if the rules were enforced it wouldn't just be the tourists who would benefit, it would be everyone.

[Crazy chef 1]

Here's an observation I've made before. One third of the land mass of Myanmar (Burma) is Ocean Front property that is, for now un-developed. A few have started, and more will come. The beaches will be much cleaner than those in Thailand, and if they keep out the mafia and other crap, they will grow and basically stick a very sharp knife in the heart of Thailand "beach tourism". I give it 5 years, or less, before Myanmar buries Thailand for that tourism.

You said what I think too. It is deeper than that though, affecting most aspects of society in Thailand. Education, justice, equal treatment of citizens including visitors and people making Thailand their home, business, work ethic leading to either poverty or relative wealth. All these areas are in decline in Thailand when compared to its neighbors.

The demise is like the beginning stages of cancer, invisible! Thai people gave been living in a cocoon of poverty and ignorance, happy from their ignorance, benefitting from the kick start in its infrastructure from the 1960's and continued investment feeding from that. They cannot yet see the tigers on their borders who are hungry to develop and not so proud to be so introvertly protectionist and delusional.

Thailand has raped the fruits of the land and benefits and become comfortably numb. It needs to wake up fast to the world outside before it is enslaved and impoverished. There is so much talent here that is under educated and brainwashed into under performance. Please wake up Thailand and energise your potential. Educate your people, teach them ethics and business sense and eradicate the selfishness and corruption, treating every person with equality and respect, and you will become as successful as Singapore with even greater potential.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

brilliant.sums it up in a nut shell. hope the good general will read it.

[ableguy]

Here's an observation I've made before. One third of the land mass of Myanmar (Burma) is Ocean Front property that is, for now un-developed. A few have started, and more will come. The beaches will be much cleaner than those in Thailand, and if they keep out the mafia and other crap, they will grow and basically stick a very sharp knife in the heart of Thailand "beach tourism". I give it 5 years, or less, before Myanmar buries Thailand for that tourism.

They will have to import thousands of Thai attractive girls first.