Tourism and Sports Ministry scrambles to develop personnel for Tourist Assistance Centers

BANGKOK, 16 June 2016 (NNT) - Tourism and Sports Ministry Permanent Secretary Phongphanu Sawetrundra has convened a working group of officials to accelerate a project to develop personnel for the Tourist Assistance Centers (TAC).

He said that there are 16 Tourist Assistance Centers (TAC) in Suvarnabhumi international airport, Don Muang international airport, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Ubon Ratchathani, Sukhothai, Chiang Rai, Kanchanaburi and Krabi provinces.

More centers will be established in Udorn Thani, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin and Pang-nga later this year, he said.

The centers will work with the provincial tourism offices as well as other authorities to take care of both Thai and foreign tourists and provide maximum safety and immediate solutions on the spot, he said.

He added that Thailand’s tourism sector is the key factor in driving the country’s economy and distributing tourism-related incomes to people nationwide.

-- NNT 2016-06-16

Is this a news story?

All i see is 4 paragraph with "he said" at either the start or end of a sentence (actually the last one has "he added" so it is clear this was written by one of the top NNT reporters).

The big question is of course what "will work with the provincial tourism offices as well as other authorities to take care of both Thai and foreign tourists and provide maximum safety and immediate solutions on the spot" means.

Is it a sort of tourist police?

Do they help you find place on the map and give you directions?

Do they translate entrance signs for you?

Do they offer legal assistance when you overpaid a taxi or an entrance fee?

Do they recommend hotels in the neighborhood?

It all sounds like someone thought of a new office to open, only to get a new job title and have a load of employees to command around.

And nobody has any idea what these people are supposed to do and once it has been set up you will never hear of them anymore.

What it means is rhetoric which by itself does nothing but looks good. Are they going to side with a foreigner if there is a dispute between a Thai and a foreigner assuming the foreigner is right in their assertion?

What it means is rhetoric which by itself does nothing but looks good. Are they going to side with a foreigner if there is a dispute between a Thai and a foreigner assuming the foreigner is right in their assertion?

Much like the heavily promoted courts at the airports, set up to expedite cases involving foreigners. Never been mentioned since the day they were created.

Please teach them: No hab, may loo and arai?