Thai tourism minister rejects proposal for Chinese police to protect tourists

Tourism Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakitkosol stressed there will be no policy allowing Chinese police to participate in the protection of Chinese tourists in Thailand.

She firmly believes in the potential of Thai police to instil confidence and does not anticipate any negative impact on the number of Chinese tourists.

At 9.20am this morning, at the Government House, Sudawan, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, discussed the case where The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) proposed to have Chinese police help look after Chinese tourists in Thailand.

She stated that the Ministry of Tourism and Sports does not have a policy to bring Chinese police to jointly take care of Chinese tourists with Thai police. The TAT has many ways to create confidence and assurance for Chinese tourists, but there is no measure to have Chinese police patrol together.

The Tourism Minister further explained that incidents involving Chinese tourists in the past have led to this proposal from TAT. However, she affirmed that the Ministry of Tourism and Sports does not have such a policy in place. There are many ways to build trust for Chinese tourists, reported KhaoSod.

“The Thai police already have a lot of potential. Both the National Police Office and the Tourist Police are working hard, and we believe they can create confidence for tourists and will not impact the number of Chinese tourists who will travel to Thailand. Currently, the tourist police are deploying forces to take care of the locations where there are a large number of tourists, including the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and various piers.”

In related news, the Association of Thai Travel Agents and the Tourism Council of Thailand called on the government to restore confidence in Chinese tourists via mainland tour agents, emphasising that this approach can guarantee tourist safety. Read more about this story HERE.