China ‘okay’ about fracas at airport

Prawit denies Beijing issued travel warning

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon denied the Chinese government has issued a warning to its citizens against visiting Thailand following an airport security guard’s alleged assault on a Chinese tourist.

The government has already apologised to Beijing, which was satisfied with Thai authorities’ handling of the matter, Gen Prawit said yesterday.

The security guard involved in the incident with the tourist at Don Mueang airport has been fired, the deputy prime minister said, adding the incident was a “personal matter”.

The altercation, videoed by another Chinese tourist, occurred inside the airport last Thursday. The clip was posted on Facebook and drew fierce criticism of the guard.

The clip showed the guard and the Chinese man quarrelling before the guard shoved him and swung his arm wildly, as if trying to punch the tourist in the face. He missed and another security guard intervened.

The Chinese tourist had been denied entry because he did not have proof of a ticket home.

Gen Prawit said Chinese tourists to Thailand were well cared for and everything had gone smoothly before the deadly boat accident in Phuket in July and the Don Mueang airport incident.

The government has been trying to contain the damage to the tourism sector caused by the capsize of the dive boat Phoenix, which sank during a storm off the Phuket coast on July 5, drowning 47 Chinese tourists.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday stressed the need to boost safety for tourists to restore their confidence. He admitted a string of negative incidents had hurt the country’s tourism sector.

“We have to be patient and try to restore the country’s good image,” Gen Prayut said during an inspection trip to Lamphun in the North of the country.

Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, the newly appointed Immigration Bureau commissioner, yesterday said he had met officials from five airports — Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, Phuket, Krabi, and Samui — to discuss measures to prevent Chinese tourists suffering bad experiences.

Pol Maj Gen Surachate also talked about reports of bribes during the process of issuing visas on arrival to Chinese tourists, admitting some had been asked to pay “tips” to speed up the process of filling out immigration forms.

He said Chinese and Thai tour operators asked tourists for tips and gave them to immigration officers to help things go more smoothly.

“But from now on, I have ordered immigration officers not to receive tips, and asked airport directors to hold meetings with tour operators to tell them not to ask for ‘tips’ from tourists,” Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

“No Tips” stickers written in English and Chinese were yesterday pasted onto visa on arrival counters at all international airports in Thailand to assure tourists they will not have to pay tips.

Pol Maj Gen Surachate warned immigration officers not to take any additional money apart from the visa fee or they will be punished.

Immigration officers already earn overtime so there is no need for them to receive tips, he said. “Anything that risks violating the law must be stopped,” he said.

He added that some tour operators who asked for tips from tourists ended up keeping the money instead of giving it to immigration officers.

Meanwhile, the Phuket Tourism Association has warned the number of Chinese tour groups arriving in Phuket is down by half on safety worries and a major effort is needed to restore confidence and woo them back.

Association president Phumkit Raktaengam said yesterday the Phoenix boat tragedy had a major impact on Chinese people and had put them off visiting Phuket.

“About 50% of the tour groups are not arriving. Chinese tourists have stopped visiting Phuket because they are worried about their safety,” Mr Phumkit said.

“The problem must be solved at its root cause. In the meantime, there has been no progress in salvaging the boat.”

The government needs to employ more staff to ensure public safety and communicate better with Chinese visitors, Mr Phumkit added.

With increased guarantees over their safety, Chinese tour groups will likely return within six months, he said.

While many Chinese travellers will be making overseas trips this week during China’s long “Golden Week” holiday, fewer of them will be coming to Thailand. Acknowledging the tumbling number of tourist arrivals from China, which fell by 12% in August, the Thai government this week has come up with measures to lure them back.

But those measures are merely ad hoc and China-specific solutions that overlook the fact that the government should be making Thailand a tourist-friendly and safe destination for all visitors from all other countries.

And while the government is obsessed with boosting the number of Chinese tourists, it should be aware of the limitations of Thailand’s infrastructure and the associated environmental impact.

It is understandable why the government is sensitive about the recent drop in Chinese tourist arrivals. Visitors from China made up about a quarter of Thailand’s 35 million tourists last year. Tourism is also a key industry, generating about 1.8 trillion baht, or 17.6% of gross domestic product.

A tour boat accident off Phuket in July that killed 47 Chinese tourists is seen as a key factor that triggered the slump. To add salt to the wound, a recent video of a Don Mueang airport guard punching a Chinese tourist who refused to pay a tip to get fast-track immigration service has gone viral.

Earlier, the government made things easier for Chinese visitors at key airports by offering them special immigration lanes. This week, it is considering a dual-entry visa over a six-month period for Chinese tourists, while the Immigration Bureau has also come up with “no tips” signboards at Don Mueang airport.

These strategies show the government is dealing with each specific incident as it arises, when it should instead come up with holistic approaches that address the root cause of the problems.

For instance, tourists may have experienced demands for tips from officials elsewhere, besides airport immigration services. So the “no tips” message should be delivered to all ranks in various agencies — especially the Royal Thai Police.

In addition, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s call for people to stop sharing the video of the guard punching the Chinese tourist indicates a culture of cover-up.

Gen Prayut is worried that the video will be detrimental to the country’s image. But he should be reminded that trying to hide it is, in fact, far more damaging.

Thailand’s lax attitude to safety is a major concern among tourists. The Phuket boat capsize simply re-emphasised that sentiment among Chinese travellers.

Tourists’ confidence could be restored if the state demonstrated that it is taking serious measures to better regulate the industry to ensure maximum safety for tourists.

And while the government is working with a one-track mind on projecting growth in the number of Chinese visitors, it is not taking into account certain associated problems.

FT Confidential Research points out that Thailand’s major airports are at risk of being unable to handle the growing number of tourists in the coming decade, according to BBC Thai. At present, it indicates that Suvarnabhumi and other airports in Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai are operating at excess capacity.

The impact on the environment from the growing number of tourists is also a major cause for concern. This is most evident in the recent indefinite closure of Maya Bay in Krabi to allow the damaged marine ecosystem to fully recover. The world-class tourist site has sustained serious damage due to hordes of day-tripping tour groups.

Without a doubt, the increasing number of tourists must pose a threat to other natural sites too. Before boosting tourist growth, the state should enhance measures to prevent and minimise the environmental damage being caused by tourism.

When tourists from China and elsewhere feel that Thailand is a safer and friendlier destination, they will visit without any incentives by the government.