Zero-dollar tourism
Will this new approach to win back
the confidence of Chinese tourists bear fruit?
THANIN WEERADET
Not far from the Pho Khun Pha Muang Bridge is a viewpoint where you can see wooded hills and the prominent red cliff called Pha Daeng. Forests around the cliff are designated as Phu Pha Daeng Wildlife Sanctuary. |
Efforts to tackle zero-dollar tourism received a major boost recently with the setting up of a watchdog to prevent unscrupulous tour operators from preying on innocent Chinese tourists visiting Thailand.
A joint initiative of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, they are forming a so-called “Association to Protect Chinese Tourists”, following a steep 28 percent drop in Chinese visitors to Thailand in the first four months of this year.
The trend is particularly worrying because TAT is aiming to draw a million Chinese visitors to Thai shores next year.
The drop has been attributed to zero-dollar tours in which mainland Chinese book travel packages through their agents at incredibly low prices, and once here are passed on to Thai travel agents for a price. Travel agents in Thailand then proceed to exploit them by taking them on a shopping spree where they are forced to buy against their will so that the agents can make their commissions. Sometimes travel agents “re-sell” their clients to tour guides and the whole sequence is repeated again.
“On several occasions I have seen a lot of Chinese left stranded at the Khao Chee Chan tourist retreat in Chon Buri,” said Jarupol Ruengket, president of the Professional Guides Federation of Thailand.
Under the plan being mooted by the ministry and the TAT, 25 tour companies in Thailand will be offered membership to the association after careful screening of their name and records, and each will be asked to put two million baht in deposit money, disclosed Sakthip Krairiksh, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
In return, he said, these companies will gain from the TAT’s extensive marketing and advertising network in China which can help them secure more business in the mainland. The deposits of those caught with involvement in unscrupulous acts or negligence of duty, such as in the case of accidents, will be confiscated and they shall be prosecuted.
A call centre manned by Mandarin-speaking staff will also be set up and it will operate round the clock.
The TAT, which charges tour operators 50,000-baht registration fee, will also compile a comprehensive list of good and bad companies.
The TAT will forward the list of good travel agents to Chinese tourist authorities, who will be asked to pass it on to travel agents on the mainland. In the meantime, Thai diplomatic missions there will be told to be more careful in screening visa applications for Thailand. This should help either side in selecting tour operators who are reliable and can be held accountable if things go wrong.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will officially visit China next month and the measures to win back the confidence of Chinese tourists are expected to be high on his agenda.
Zero-dollar tours have earned a bad name for Thailand. Chinese people are wary of travelling here and only talks at the highest level can solve the problem.
Last year 624,214 Chinese visited Thailand, down 5 percent from 2003, but the situation got alarming this year as their number plunged 28 percent in the first four months compared to the same period last year.
Beijing, Xian and Chengdu are the main source of Chinese tourists travelling to Thailand.
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tackle
to try and deal with something or someone
boost
to increase
watchdog
a person or organisation that has the responsibility for making certain that businesses maintain standards and do not act illegally
unscrupulous
behaving in an unfair or dishonest way
preying on
hurting or deceiving
innocent
not having done anything wrong
joint
together with; shared
initiative
a new action intended to solve a problem |
steep
(of a rise or fall in numbers, prices, etc.) happening very quickly
trend
a general development or change in a situation
attributed
given as a reason
incredibly
difficult to believe
exploit
to take advantage of, in this case, to take unfair advantage of
sequence
a series of related things or events; the order in which related things or events follow each other
stranded
unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as a lack of transportation or money
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mooted
suggested for discussion
deposit
money paid when you rent something or enter a business and which is eventually returned to you if no damage has been done
confiscated
taken away as a punishment
prosecuted
officially accused of committing a crime
comprehensive
complete; including everything that is necessary
held accountable
completely responsible for something
wary
not completely trusting or certain about
plunged
fell suddenly
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