On Monday, key Chinese officials met with Phuket authorities to discuss tourism concerns and safety issues in the hope of reducing the number of Chinese tourists killed or injured in accidents on sea and land while on holiday.
Phuket Deputy Governor Khajornkiet Rakpanichmanee led the meeting, described as a workshop to address Chinese tourism concerns, where he spoke with several Chinese officials.
“We held a workshop today as a large number of Chinese tourists have come to Thailand this year, especially to Phuket and Krabi, where many of them have been involved in accidents, both in water and on the road,” Deputy Governor Khajornkiet explained.
“The Chinese Consulate in Songkhla organized this meeting and workshop with local officials to find ways to improve safety for Chinese tourists and to reduce the number of [Chinese tourists] injured and killed [while on tour in Phuket and Krabi.]”
“The Chinese Consulate also seeks help and an exchange of ideas on many issues on tourism,” he said.
“At the meeting, we reported the current situation including the number of accidents involving Chinese tourists in 2015-2016, and the Chinese Consulate in Songkhla asked every [Thai] department involved with tourism to warn Chinese tourists [of dangers] by posting signs in Chinese language at beaches, and at hotels,” the PR Department reported Deputy Governor Khajornkiet as saying.
“We also discussed transport safety, especially traveling on speedboats, traveling by bus over Patong Hill, motorbike rentals and jet-ski rentals,” he said.
The Chinese delegation noted that 44 Chinese tourists had died from drowning, including 18 tourists dying from snorkelling activities, in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi from January 2015 to August 2016.
The delegation also presented a brochure written in Mandarin to remind Chinese tourists of the dangers road safety and water safety. The brochure itself highlights how many Chinese tourists have drowned over the past 20 months.
The brochure is to be handed out to Chinese tourists on tours in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi.
Story: The Phuket News
