Phuket aims to become the safest city
The authorities of the Thai resort island of Phuket have decided to take a set of measures to significantly improve the safety of tourists. The reason was several accidents with foreign vacationers, which occurred on the island recently.
The main goal is to make Phuket the safest city in Southeast Asia, creating all the necessary conditions for this both for tourists and locals.
At a special meeting with heads of tourism companies and hotels on the island, Phuket's deputy governor detailed incidents that have caused public concern.
This included the recent accident of a speedboat crashing into a navigation marker in Chalong Bay. As a result, 35 people, mostly Russian tourists, were seriously injured. The suspected cause was the driver falling asleep at the helm.
Another incident was a knife attack by a travel agent on a Chinese tourist after a dispute over unprovided services. The traveler missed an excursion and demanded a refund, which led to the conflict.
According to the authorities, in order to create a truly safe environment in Phuket, it is necessary to combine the efforts of travel companies and law enforcement agencies. The police should firmly suppress any violations of the law, especially such grave ones as fraud, robbery or attacks on vacationers.
"In addition, the deputy governor urged all travel agencies and hotels on the island to abandon the practice of double pricing for Thai and foreign guests. This will help prevent conflict situations due to deceived expectations and injustice" said the deputy governor.
Professional tour guides working with tourists should play a very important role in ensuring the safety of the vacation. They are obliged to inform the island's guests in detail about the rules of behavior in Phuket.
For example, it is not allowed to touch or harass the rare marine animals living here, such as turtles, sharks, rays. It is also unacceptable to feed fish during diving, it violates their natural behavior.
Phuket has for many years enjoyed the fame of a popular exotic destination with a developed tourist infrastructure. The island is famous for its picturesque tropical beaches, sights, delicious food.
Last year Phuket was visited by more than 5 million vacationers from around the world. Improvement of security and service will help to maintain a positive image of the island as a paradise place for tourism. And a competent advertising campaign will attract even more tourists.
Author of the article: Ekaterina Antonova
