Phuket guides demand action against illegal competition

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Phuket guides demand action against illegal competition
Nattha Thepbamrung


Krich Thepbamrung (left) makes a point to Santi Pawai.

PHUKET: -- Local tour guides gathered at Provincial Hall this morning (November 3) to file a letter of complaint about the lack of progress by authorities to stop foreign tour guides operating illegally on the island.

The letter, handed to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong at a meeting attended by Ministry of Tourism & Sports Phuket Director Santi Pawai, claimed that some foreign tourist guides are operating illegally in Phuket with the support of local officials.

The group’s spokesperson, Krich Thepbamrung, said illegal foreign tour guides had been a problem for many years.

“The number of illegal tour guides has never dropped. It keeps increasing,” said Mr Krich.

“Even some of the big tour companies are hiring them without work permits. There used to be registered Thai tour guides working with the foreign ones in order to avoid trouble but now it is even worse.

“They [foreign tour guides] are working alone now and they do not get arrested. We have complained about this several times but the companies refuse to listen because they want to save costs,” said Krich.

Krich also accused officials of neglecting their duty.

“There are plenty of tour guides standing in front of the airport exit door who are obviously foreigners. They have never been checked for their work permits, even though everyone knows that only Thai nationals can be tour guides,” he said.

The group’s leader also complained about foreign guides’ lack of understanding and sensitivity towards Thai culture, especially at religious sites.

“It is widely known that people must dress respectfully at Thai temples. At Suwannakuha Temple in Phang Nga, for example, foreign guides taking mainly Russian, Chinese and Korean tour groups have even allowed the tourists to wear just their swim suits inside.

“There is no need to hire illegal foreigners. There are a lot of professional Thai tour guides who are fluent in different languages,” Mr Krich said.

“We insist on concrete action and punishment in the near future against illegal foreign guides as well as the officials and companies supporting them,” Mr Krich demanded.

Phuket’s Tourism & Sports Ministry Director Santi Pawai said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding a ban on illegal tour guides had already been presented to all local tour companies with Chinese-, Korean- and Russian-speaking tour guides.

“Almost all the companies have agreed to the MOU. There are a few that don’t agree with it but we expect all of them to sign it by December,” Mr Santi told The Phuket News.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-guides-demand-action-against-illegal-competition-49477.php


-- Phuket News 2014-11-04

[NamKAheng]

Caught in their own game, illegal guide pay more tea money.

[Somtamnication]

Time to grow up, Thailand. Nothing wrong with being a farang driver, waiter, buying a house, blah blah blah!

[zaphod reborn]

The future fate of ASEAN integration can be seen in Phuket. The only way Thais can compete with foreign workers is to rely on protectionism to create obstacles for foreign workers entering the Thai labor market.

[daveAustin]

Hehehe, not nice to see when kids can't have their cake and eat it. Btw, Thai tour guides, there are many Thais doing jobs in other countries that foreigners cannot do here. Just because your laws say it is illegal doesn't make it right, does it?

[alant]

The logic of making the role available to all seems not to being considered...

[shirtless]

I wish western countries would reciprocate these laws so Thais may understand what discrimination is.

[terminatorchiangmai]

I have seen a lot of Thai tour guides also not dressing and behaving properly at temples or other public places.

[steelepulse]

It seems the authorities don't do too much about this as every 6 months this same problem flares up again, with the same results, meeting, promises, then back to the status quo.

[wangsuda]

One word needs to be taken out of the OP headline. It should read, "Phuket guides demand action against competition."

[northernboy]

Sorry but I believe that Thailand is not the rest of the world and if losers wish to come here and work and live, they should at least provide a skill or training that is unique and not just be because they can wait tables or be drivers. Oddly this is called Thailand and is the country of and for Thai People not meant for a place where westerners of other nationalities should feel they have the right to come and work freely because their country's companies have talk the government into providing illegal foreign labour at the expense of their citizens.

I am sure you would love it when China and Russia are given unlimited rights to work and live here as they like would you not? Where the fine social graces of these cultures have become common place to live with. If your answer is that would be fine I would not mind, then move to Russia or China or back home if you like, but unless your Thai citizen and have taken upThai citizenship then just maybe you should stop demanding rights you are not entitled to, promised or offered under the laws of a country you have chosen to be a guest of.

[BigFun]

Funny, "We have complained about this several times but the companies refuse to listen because they want to save costs,” said Krich". So the Thais are more costly than a farang? Maybe the farangs don't have a proper work permit but the Thais definitely dont need one. Maybe they should lower their prices a little and work/advertise a little harder and then maybe they can get a better slice of the pie.

Laws should be reciprocal, u cant do this here, OK we recind the right to do so in our countries, same goes with the newly proposed FB laws...lets see how their bowels work then

[northernboy]

I wish western countries would reciprocate these laws so Thais may understand what discrimination is.

If you think your country is so easy for a Thai to work in, try to get a Thai national a visa or work permit in the UK, UAE Live and work or heaven forbid Canada unless your a farm worker as Canadian do not want that job.. Til then stop spewing ignorant statements out of your keyboard. Then maybe you will realize that it works both ways. You just see it from your point of view.

[rhythmworx]

What do they expect?

They the foreigners are partitioning in Chinese.

They think they own the world.

Edited November 4, 2014 by rhythmworx

[monkeycountry]

Perhaps the Thai guides should ask themselves why the tour companies prefer foreign guides?

I doubt it is only the price, and if it is, then perhaps the Thai guides are too expensive?

Could it be that the Thai guides are not as fluent in various languages as they think they are? Afterall it is common for Thais to put "fluent in english" on their CV, even though they can barely say anything in english. It has been mentioned before that the tourists seem to prefer foreign guides, and they must have a reason for that.

It could also be that the Thai guides are too busy taking the tourists to all kinds of shops in order to get commission. Afterall Thailand and Thais are rather infamous for doing exactly that.

Instead of always complaining to the government, Thais in general need to become more competitive. The many hours demonstrating and writing complaint letters to various officials would be better spent studying Chinese!

Edited November 4, 2014 by monkeycountry

[simon43]

“There is no need to hire illegal foreigners. There are a lot of professional Thai tour guides who are fluent in different languages,” Mr Krich said.

Well,, there must be a good reason why these tour companies do not want to hire Thai guides. Perhaps Mr Kirch should consider the reasons

[simon43]

@Northernboy, welcome to Thailand, your rose-tinted glasses are perhaps a little steamed up?

[steelepulse]

“There is no need to hire illegal foreigners. There are a lot of professional Thai tour guides who are fluent in different languages,” Mr Krich said.

Well,, there must be a good reason why these tour companies do not want to hire Thai guides. Perhaps Mr Kirch should consider the reasons

Never mind rational thought. What is more important is emotion, rights and protectionism, customers be damned.

[SOTIRIOS]

...... throwing around the word 'foreigner' like it's a dirty word....

..and that all foreigners are apparently illegal....and criminals...

....at the same time.....it concerns me to hear that people who own or work for hotels cannot even pick up their clients from airports or train stations....

[CiaranO]

“There is no need to hire illegal foreigners. There are a lot of professional Thai tour guides who are fluent in different languages,” Mr Krich said.

Well,, there must be a good reason why these tour companies do not want to hire Thai guides. Perhaps Mr Kirch should consider the reasons

he also claims they are saving costs by hiring Foreign Tour Guides- i doubt this is the case - probably looking for professional tour guides instead.

[zig]

“There is no need to hire illegal foreigners. There are a lot of professional Thai tour guides who are fluent in different languages,” Mr Krich said.

Well,, there must be a good reason why these tour companies do not want to hire Thai guides. Perhaps Mr Kirch should consider the reasons

he also claims they are saving costs by hiring Foreign Tour Guides- i doubt this is the case - probably looking for professional tour guides instead.

In the past I happened to talk to a manager of one such tour company. The main quoted reason was that many Thai guides can barely speak the required languages, up to the point that tourists do not understand them at all. Some of the companies used to hire one Thai guide and one foreign guide to work in pairs which kind of legal if the foreign guide is positioned as an interpreter and not a guide. The Thai guide would often be there just for the purpose of providing a legal cover and would do nothing at all. In such cases it indeed saves the cost to keep only one of the guides who is actually doing all the work.

[stevenl]

“There is no need to hire illegal foreigners. There are a lot of professional Thai tour guides who are fluent in different languages,” Mr Krich said.

Well,, there must be a good reason why these tour companies do not want to hire Thai guides. Perhaps Mr Kirch should consider the reasons

he also claims they are saving costs by hiring Foreign Tour Guides- i doubt this is the case - probably looking for professional tour guides instead.

What he is saying is 'they are hiring foreign guides and are not hiring an additional Thai guide anymore'. That is how the companies are saving money.

These 'sitting guides' are officially illegal, but nobody cares, and it keep everybody at work, (illegal) foreigners and Thai guides who the whole trip don't have to do anything.

[maidee]

maybe this all crap about: only thais can do this and that should stop in my god 2014 ... send those farmers back to issaan .... next they will claim only REAL phuket scammers can pretend to work on the island

maybe there are farangs working, as thais do not tend to be good at any other language like descent english, russian, chinese...

those complainers can always apply for a job as a cop ... good money there

[bongoz]

It's fine Thailand will not any tour guides soon.

Everything is going to shit!

[toonsai]

The lack of competition has driven the whole industry down. These (lazy) guys just want to continue their little (but very profitable) protected trade, with only one standard: MONEY. Many "protected" sectors, including tour guides = mafia. Some competition will only benefit to the service level, which is now extremely low.