ADT attacks BMTA on tour sales
August 19, 2011 by Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit
Filed under Associations, News, Thailand, Trade Talk
BANGKOK, 19 August 2011 – The Association of Domestic Travel has requested that Minister of Tourism and Sports, Chumpol Silapa-acha, hold talks with the Minister of Transport, Air Chief Marshal Sukampol Suwannathat, to halt Bangkok Mass Transit Authority’s tour sales that compete head on with the private sector.
ADT president, Maiyarat Pheerayakoses, said Mr Chumpol should step in and solve this “chronic problem” because BMTA, the main operator of public bus services in Bangkok, is actively selling domestic tours without holding a tour operator or tour guide’s license.
Maiyarat Pheerayakoses
“A state enterprise such as BMTA should not sell tour programmes that compete with the private sector,” she argued. “They claim the tours are just transfers between the destinations without providing accommodation, food and a tour guide but we challenge that,” Ms Maiyarat said.
She claims the BMTA should offer price incentives on transport not enter the tour business to gain more business.
“We want the ministry and related agencies to solve this problem. It has been going on for several years and we believe the BMTA continues to ignore the Tourism Business and Guide Act B.E. 2551.”
She claims the BMTA attitude is encouraging others to work outside of the law.
The Tourism Business and Guide Act B.E. 2551, defines a commercial tour company as an entity that supplies services that include accommodation, sightseeing food and guide services to tourists.
Mr Chumpol has so far not responded to the association’s request for assistance.
1. What the president of ADT has mentioned here maybe true. BMTA’s role is to provide transportation service for its customers while customers should go to legal travel agents’ to buy tour service. But there are examples of organisations other than travel agents offering packages.
2. We have seen the media also organise special package tours so why has ADT not raised this issue to MoTS ?
3. TAT also organises special tour programmes mainly to introduce new tour routes for example to travel agents. I think TAT should have the right to do this because it is developing ideas for travel agents.
4. Also many travellers are doing their own bookings and not booking through travel agents.
5. ADT should promote their members’ creativity in building tours that will be attractive to travellers. This is the best reply to competitors. This is the era of free trade and everything is customer-centric .
All this talk about official tour routes and tourist transportation?!…the pirate buses that are allowed to run are illegal, and have NO safety regulations are KILLING HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS of Thai people and Tourists through FATAL ROAD CRASHES each year.If victims do not die at the scene they are NOT counted as road statistics – this way the Thai Authorities ‘massage’ the figures down by HALF. Police don’t bother taking proper witness statements and take OVER A YEAR to file their ‘reports’ in order to negate compensation claims. Seats on the buses are not bolted down, safety checks to not exist on these buses, drivers speed, do not take proper rests because of schedules and cost cutting. Drivers who cause these fatal crashes are allowed to ABSCOND free as has happened with the driver who KILLED MY SON AND HIS 2 FRIENDS on 28th June 2011. We have never even received an apology let alone a police report.The Thai government need to implement a thorough road safety program IMMEDIATELY – as things are right now the lack of a safety program is tantamount to murder.