Thailand travel products under scrutiny
April 29, 2011 by Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit
Filed under News, Thailand
BANGKOK, 29 April 2011 – The Department of Tourism, under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, will re-evaluate 16 core tourism standards this year across a wide spectrum of services ranging from boats to shopping and restaurants.
Department of Tourism general director, Supol Sripan, said the Tourism Services Development Bureau was assigned to evaluate and tighten standards focusing on 16 specific areas to improve quality control in tourism.
The 16 tourism standards include: Food services; public restrooms for international travellers; tour boat services; boat restaurant services; souvenir shops for general products; souvenir shop for jewelry; and accommodation in the long-stay market.
The evaluation will also check on forest treks, rafting, bird watching, climbing cliff, diving, camping, canoeing- kayaking, elephant camps, and ecotourism lodges.
Standards will be assessed to cover Halal food preparation, home-stays, hotels and resorts.
Last year 386 tourism establishments met the department’s standard and certification requirements.
However, in private sector tourism cricles, very little is known about the department’s procedures and how it evaluates quality.
Companies that meet its requirements are not given public recognition so travellers would find it difficult to identify suppliers who are in compliance with the department’s standards.
I’ve heard it before so I hope this is real. I came to Thailand 22 years ago to bring professional standards, volume controls and nature conservation to Asia. So far I’ve just wasted 22 years of my life and the copycats in Phang Nga Bay are soooo bad! It’s just glorified mass tourism party trips to James Bond Island with a couple of stops to muck up the caves and nature. Simply an extension of the Patong Party mentality but out in what used to be bautiful Nature.
Let’s hope this actually works!