16 Chinese tourists accuse Thai tour guides of abandoning them in Pattaya
Sixteen Chinese tourists complained to Pattaya Tourist Police yesterday after they were abandoned at an elephant village in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya by their Thai tour guides. One tour guide, however, denied the accusation.
The Pattaya Tourist Police received a complaint from Chinese tourists via the 1155 hotline yesterday and rushed to the Chiang Mai Elephant Village to investigate the matter. Upon arriving, the Chinese citizens informed the officers that they were left there and wanted to go back to their hotel.
One Chinese woman later gave a phone interview with a Thai reporter. She said…
“I don’t know why the tour guides left us. The two disappeared and did not inform us of anything. I did not see his tour guide license card. They told us that they are Thai people. They communicated in Chinese very well. Their names are Zhou Zhihao and Jia Jia. I also don’t know where my hotel is.”
Once all the tourists had been safely escorted back to their hotel, officers contacted the travel agency mentioned by the group to gather further information. One of the tour guides, 31 year old Pannipa, revealed that the group had purchased a package from the agency and arrived in Thailand on March 20 and stayed in Bangkok for two days.
They travelled to Pattaya on March 22 and the tour guide stopped at the elephant village before heading to a hotel according to the travel programme. However, one of the tourists complained to the guide, stating that the program was boring and requesting a visit to a different location.
According to Pantipa, her team informed the tourists that travelling off the programme would require additional fees, which the group refused to pay.
Pantipa added that the next programme was to visit Koh Larn, which impressed and excited the tourists.
An officer from the Pattaya Tourist Police, Pitchaya Chiaopleung, reported to the media that they plan to conduct a further investigation into the case. Officers also requested that the travel agency release a statement clarifying the issue as it has a negative effect on the image of Thai tourism. Officers would also tighten measures to prevent a similar case in the future.
Recently, Thai tourism has been a topic of discussion on Chinese social media platforms. Many Chinese citizens expressed concerns about the rising costs of travelling in Thailand, which they claim have tripled over the years. One Chinese influencer also accused Thailand of trapping Chinese women in prostitution and luring Chinese men into the country for organ trafficking.
These allegations have not been substantiated. According to the government, the Minister of the Tourism and Sport will later clarify this issue.
