Is it safe to travel to Thailand?

Wave after wave, this year's hot discussion about tourism in Thailand has never stopped.

At the beginning of the year, Thailand welcomed China tourists back through public discussion, which won a lot of goodwill. However, when tourists from China keep coming in an endless stream, negative topics follow, ranging from high price to "can't afford to play", and even whether the personal safety of tourists visiting Thailand can be guaranteed has become a hot topic on social media.

The First Financial Reporter asked a number of China tourists who recently went to Thailand. Everyone said that the security situation in Thailand in the post-epidemic era has not changed significantly.

Zhou Shixin, an associate researcher at the Asia-Pacific Research Center of Shanghai Institute of International Studies, also told the First Financial Reporter that the safety of tourism in Thailand is generally controllable. Thailand is based on tourism, and its safety evaluation is generally positive. In view of the problems reflected by tourists, the Thai government usually attaches great importance to it, responds quickly and enforces the law effectively.

Ga Yao Zi?

After consulting a large number of online posts and videos, CBN reporters found that the allegations about Thailand's tourism safety mainly focused on the issue of human trafficking. For example, some restaurants or business premises are traps set by criminal gangs. If you enter them, you may be trafficked or even "removed organs".

However, some "missing" bloggers mentioned in these allegations have updated the video "Reporting Peace" a few days ago. On 23rd, the Chengdu Office of Thailand National Tourism Administration also responded to the China media, saying that the so-called "Thai male model restaurant' Roasting Kiln'" circulating on the Internet was all rumors.

Thailand, as a major tourist country in Southeast Asia, is usually the first destination for China tourists to travel abroad. CBN reporter talked with some local online bloggers in China and learned that many of them are traveling abroad for the first time in their lives. Under anxiety, it is inevitable to have some misunderstandings abroad.

Zhou Shixin also told China Business News that three years after the epidemic, China tourists need a process of psychological construction to travel to Thailand from a familiar environment to a strange one. It is human nature to be anxious, but when commenting in cyberspace, we should also talk about the facts and avoid simply generalizing conclusions by phenomena or even spreading false news through hearsay to get traffic.

The Thai government is also highly sensitive to online public opinion in China. 2 1, A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office of Thailand, Anucha, revealed that the news about "it is not safe to travel to Thailand" circulated on social platforms in China recently was untrue, and Prime Minister Ba Yu had ordered the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand to clarify the situation at the cabinet meeting.

The Thai Embassy in China also issued a document in Weibo on 23rd, saying that Thailand attaches great importance to the tourism quality and safety of China tourists. It fully understands tourists' concerns about safety, and assures China tourists that relevant Thai institutions attach great importance to this issue and will take corresponding measures to fully safeguard and guarantee the safety of tourists.

Zhou Shixin told China Business News that Thailand felt the pressure in the face of online public opinion in China, and responded quickly in a short time, hoping to eliminate the bad influence as soon as possible, which also reflected Thailand's great attention and concern for China tourists and the market.

Matters needing attention

Do China tourists really have security concerns when they travel to Thailand? Intira, who has been a tour guide in Phuket, Thailand for many years, told the First Financial Reporter that she has been in business for many years and has never heard of tourists being trafficked.

However, she reminded that traveling to Thailand really needs to pay attention to safety issues. The most common safety accidents they are exposed to are wading accidents and traffic accidents. As far as she knows, in mid-March, China tourists had an accident diving in Phuket.

On the 22nd, the Embassy of China in Thailand also posted a "special safety reminder for snorkeling" on its website. It is revealed that recently, some China compatriots who came to Thailand were in distress and eventually died while participating in island snorkeling projects. Snorkeling seems to be less difficult, but in fact it is more risky. There are frequent snorkeling accidents in Thailand every year.

After combing the travel safety reminders of the China Embassy in Thailand, the First Financial Reporter found that, as Indira reminded, wading accidents and traffic accidents have always been the focus of the embassy's reminders to China tourists.

Regarding the traffic problem, the Embassy issued a reminder in February 13, saying, "The local road conditions in Thailand are more complicated, the speed is faster, and traffic accidents are high. Please rent motorcycles carefully. The right rudder of the vehicle turns to the left, contrary to domestic traffic habits. Please pay attention to traffic safety and be careful when crossing the road. "

In addition, China Consular Service Network indicated that the security situation in Thailand was generally good and the security situation was generally stable. However, the security situation in Pattani, Yala and Taogong in the border areas of Thailand and Malaysia is grim. If there is no special need, you should avoid going to these three places.

The above three are located at the southernmost tip of Thailand, and are often referred to as the three in southern Thailand. The population is mainly Malay. Local separatists often target civilian facilities in order to destroy the local economy and create regional turmoil, but the local area is not a regular tourist area and few foreign tourists visit it.