Too afraid to leave the safety of your cramped, dank Khao San guesthouse for fear of being attacked by marauding gangs of troublesome transvestites, accosted by young kids armed with rasping wooden frogs, or badgered by tenacious tuk-tuk drivers? Don’t fear Thailand tourists, help is on the way!
In an attempt to minimize crime and enhance “confidence” amongst fragile foreign tourists, Bangkok’s boys in blue are set to crank up security in designated “safety zones”, including Khao San Road, Royal City Avenue and Patpong Road, the Bangkok Post reported this week.
Members of the tourism industry, concerned that the aplomb of helpless travelers could be blemished, welcomed the proposed campaign.
“On Khao San Road, foreign tourists often face problems [including] transvestite gangs who drug tourists and steal their valuables,” said Jiravit Chayavoraprapa, an executive at Buddy Group, which runs numerous hotels and restaurants located down Bangkok’s most renowned tourist road, in addition to establishments in Koh Samui and Ching Mai.
The initiatives, which will also be implemented in nationwide traveler hotspots such as, Pattaya and Phuket, will pave the way for the Kingdom to hit its tourist revenue target of THB2 trillion in the coming years.
“We are now campaigning to promote the issue to raise awareness and understanding of the project among police, tourists, hotel operators and tour firms,” said Police General Wuthi Liptapallop, who will oversee the project.
Foreign visitors to Thailand are currently at the mercy of four major problems: crime, deception, disasters and, wait for it, degraded tourist attractions, he added.
Yet it appears that the scheme will also provide officials with additional information on travelers, with hotel operators requested to scrutinize visitor’s passports and report all cases affecting foreigners to the Royal Thai Police on a monthly basis.
On the bright side, however, no longer will the culture vultures of Khao San and Pattaya need to fear the perilous sight of a violated attraction or repercussions of the drug-induced misdeeds of a criminal ladyboy posse.
