Dangerous times
Figures from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) show that between 2006 and 2011 more Australians died in Thailand than in any other country. Mandy Aitchison has more details
Figures from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) show that between 2006 and 2011 more Australians died in Thailand than in any other country. Mandy Aitchison has more details
The DFAT statistics show that 430 Australians died in the popular tourist destination of Thailand between the above dates. While the cause of death was not identified in 132 of the cases, 163 people died from an illness, 69 perished in accidents and 66 died of natural causes. Elsewhere in the world, 300 Australians lost their lives in Vietnam and 284 perished in Greece. Most of the deaths in Vietnam were as a result of illness, while the majority (197) in Greece were the result of natural causes. Such figures from the DFAT are unlikely to improve the perception that Asia represents specific travel risks that are higher than those seen elsewhere. According to a recent survey undertaken by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), safety problems, or the perception of them, are damaging the image of the country as a desirable destination. The survey was conducted by Eureka Consulting and probed 3,640 respondents from 14 markets that are considered key to Thailand’s tourism industry – Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States, the UAE, Australia, China, Korea, India, Russia, Germany, Sweden and Italy.
The TAT’s Thailand Destination Image survey showed that tourists from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Italy have the least confi dence in visiting the country thanks to previous experiences with fraud and service misunderstandings. Furthermore, the survey suggested that there is a perception that Thailand does not deal with crises as well as it might. Survey respondents were asked to rate different aspects of Thailand’s tourism offering, and it was found that the safety category received four points, meaning it was the most important concern for tourists. Nightlife tours received the lowest rating of 2.55 points, while tourism crisis management and the 24-hour tourism hotline service both rated 2.81 points. Between 18 May and 30 June this year, seven tourists drowned on beaches off Phuket, and sadly the spate of accidents appears not to be over, despite the efforts of the tourism authorities to educate swimmers and snorkelers.
In India, meanwhile, another popular tourist destination, figures recently announced in parliament show that 329 foreigners died in Goa between 2005 and 2011. The data, which was supplied by State Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, indicated that of the 329 deaths, 177 people had died of unnatural causes. As ITIJ went to press, a nightclub in Phuket, Thailand was devastated by fire, killing four and injuring 20. Officials and hospital workers said that foreigners were among those killed in the fire at the Tiger disco, which is very popular with tourists, in the seaside resort of Patong. “The fire was caused by lightning which struck a transformer,” said Phuket’s deputy governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, “and the fire spread throughout the place.”
Two of the injured were in a critical condition, while the four dead – who were believed to be tourists – were so badly burned that identifi cation was initially impossible. The disco was ‘totally destroyed on the second fl oor where the fi re broke out’, said an official. The fire started after the club was officially closed, but around 80 people were apparently taking shelter from a downpour.