Evgeny Pisarevskiy (center),
Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturism) and Russian
officials address local officials and businesses about the challenges faced
by Russian tourists in Pattaya.
Vittaya Yoondorn
Russian Federation Consul Andrey Dvornikov told police and city
officials that, due to increasing crime against tourists, Pattaya is gaining
a growing reputation back home for being unsafe.
At a Nov. 19 meeting between Thai and Russian officials and tour operators,
the embassy counselor cited the increasing frequency of gold and handbag
snatches and hotel burglaries, saying crimes are being reported in Russia
with many travelers forming negative impressions of safety in Pattaya.
Dvornikov blamed the increase in crime to the termination of joint Pattaya
Police-Royal Thai Navy patrols earlier this decade. Ended due to budget
constraints, the Military-Police Cooperative Patrol Project was supposed to
be restarted in May 2009 following a mandate from then-Gov. Senee
Jittakasem. But despite calling the program “essential” for tourism, the
plan was sent to a committee for study, never to reemerge.
The Russian consul also was critical of Thai officials for the common
practice of hotels taking tourists passports. He said passports were
property of the Russian government and that Thai officials showed
“negligence” in instructing hotels to demand and hold them.
Dvornikov’s criticisms came as embassy and Pattaya officials met to address
the major concerns faced by Russian tourists, with security and medical
coverage topping the list. The forum also gave local business leaders a
chance to meet with Russian tourism executives in hopes of keeping their
business juggernaut going.
The Russian delegation said their main concerns focused
on information services for tourists, insurance, medical expenses and the
general perception of security. Evgeny Pisarevskiy, Deputy Head of the
Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturism), pointed, in particular, to the
disparity in the prices charged to Thais and Russians for medical care.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh said communication remains the biggest
obstacle Pattaya public officials and business owners have in dealing with
Russians, due to low Russian-language fluency. But Ronakit also criticized
Russian tourists, saying many can’t read or ignore warning signs posted
around the city, leading to their injury or death.
He said the city is addressing the language barrier by allocating funds to
the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association to distribute for training.
The deputy mayor also addressed the city’s highest-profile tourist problem:
jet skis. He said the long-running extortion and intimidation scandal has
gotten the notice of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who designated the
country’s national security director to oversee resolution of the issue.
Still being debated in committee, the proposed solution involves requiring
jet ski vendors to carry insurance to cover any damage.
As for medical services, Ronakit said, the area is served by numerous rescue
services that can reach those in need within 10 minutes. He suggested
Russian tour operators enter insurance contracts with those agencies and
area hospitals to improve efficiency.
With Russian tourists having already spent more than 1 billion baht in the
kingdom, Thai officials are keen to keep their largest new tourist bloc
happy. As such, government and business representatives from both sides
agreed to hold similar meetings again on a regular basis.
