Present at the meeting, held at the Proud Phuket Hotel in Nai Yang, were a host of government officers and officials from Phuket and other Andaman coast provinces, including Phang Nga and Krabi.
Sitting to the Governor’s right at the head table of dignitaries was former Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen, who now serves as Deputy Commander of Region 8 Police.
According to the report by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department, the meeting focusses on four main topics: safety of travelling on sea and land; travelling by road and traffic; service for convenience; and good service for Chinese tourists.
The Chinese envoys were treated to yet another explanation of the safety measures and policies rolled out by the government to make travelling to the area safer and more convenient for Chinese tourists.
For travel by sea, the meeting focussed on three specific topics: safe people, safe boats, safe piers, said the PR Dept report.
Regarding travel by land, it was mentioned that Chinese guides would help make travel safer and that a safety video in Thai, English, Chinese and Russian would be available so that Chinese tourists would be better informed.
According to the report, Mr Ma thanked the Thai government and praised every local organisation for their efforts.
The report also noted that Mr Ma said he was satisfied with the meeting and that he could trust the government’s measures to improve the goodwill in taking care of and providing more safety for Chinese tourists.
“More than 10 million Chinese tourists come to Thailand each year because they think there is a close relationship between Thais and Chinese, like relatives,” said Mr Ma.
“Even though some Chinese people have been injured or died while traveling in Thailand, lots of Chinese still want to come to Thailand because they consider Thai people generous and friendly, like family members,” Mr Ma said, according to the report.
Governor Phakaphong said that every official and organisation has closely worked together to build the trust and security for tourists as a priority in 2019 and 2020.
“Phuket has supported the budget to purchase more boat equipment and security equipment, also to improve traffic lights, conduct evacuation drills, and provide security for tourists and officials in Phuket and [elsewhere in] the Andaman region,” he said.
The meeting yesterday came just one week before the anniversary of the Phoenix tour boat disaster on July 5 last year that killed 47 Chinese tourists.
In the wake of the disaster, Thailand’s worst maritime disaster in modern history, the Thai government launched a campaign to improve water safety for tourists departing Phuket on boat tours.
The campaign, which has focussed heavily on highly publicising the efforts by Thai officials, now has officials stationed at the key tour boat departure piers on the island to check that basic safety standards are observed by tour boat operators.
Mr Ma met Phuket Governor Phakaphong last met in late April to hear the same update on safety and to discuss Chinese tourism to Phuket. (See story here.)