Phuket, 8 August 2018: Thailand’s Tourist Police Bureau introduced its latest safety measures to a China media group visiting Phuket, earlier this week.
They were on an inspection trip to see first-hand how the island was improving its tour boat safety measures and new ship standards that should be enforced on shipyards across the island.
Tour booking cancellations, that could cut visits to Thailand by around 619,000 by the end of the year, forced authorities to revisit safety regulations and order stricter enforcement of crew and captain qualifications.
A tour boat accident in Phuket resulted in the death of 46 Chinese tourists last month.
Chinese media were told that tourist boat building quality standards would be introduced to ensure all boats were seaworthy.
TAT said the media trip was designed to rebuild travel confidence after a spate of marine accidents.
Officials said there were strict procedures in place to check all tour boats before they left port.
There have also been a number of improvements made to tour boat rules and regulations. They include proper registration of each boat and the number of passengers booked for passage as well as the route. All details plus the passenger list must be presented to the Phuket’s Marine Office, Tourist Police and Provincial Administrator before boats set sail.
TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said: “Tourist safety is a top priority… New measures will restore confidence in the short and long term to demonstrate Thailand is sincere and committed to tourist safety.”
(Source: TAT newsroom)
