Called “Tourists Safety Training 2017”, the project aims to equip national park officers with the skills to carry out emergency rescues on land and in the water.
Of note, Phuket lifeguards provide beach patrols at the adjacent Nai Yang Beach, but at only three points within Sirinath National Park.
Sirinath National Park is the fifth national park in the country to carry out the formal training, explained Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) Director Thanya Netithammakul, present at the event in Phuket yesterday.
Also present were Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Gen Surasak Kanjanarat.
“The Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation has 154 natural tourism destinations in Thailand. We have a high potential as a base to support and develop long-term tourism, which provides good benefit for local businesses and the national economy,” DNP Chief Thanya said.
“The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment sees the importance of tourists safety,” he added.
Other similar rescue training projects were carried out at Namtok Phlio National Park in Chanthaburi and Sai Yok National Park in Kanchanburi in November last year, at Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai in December and at Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Rachasima in May this year.
“The objective of the training is to train park officers to be ready to take care of tourists, and to improve their effectiveness in using rescue equipment when helping injured tourists with fast and correct rescue techniques,” DNP Chief Thanya explained.
“Officers were trained in both theories and activities. Also, good equipment and professional training is important to saving life and property. Safety is the first thing that Thai and foreign tourists think of when deciding on whether or not to holiday to visit Thailand,” he added.
As part of the proceedings yesterday, Deputy PM Gen Thanasak handed out certificates to 14 officers who completed the training.
“Thailand has a wonderful nature and culture. In 2016, our tourism industry was very successful. There were more than 32.6 million tourists; among the top six in the world (for number of tourist visitors). The tourism industry is among the top five contributors to Thailand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” Gen Thanasak said.
“This training is a good activity as it improves our effectiveness in saving tourists’ lives, which creates a good reputation, a good image for us and creates confidence among tourists thinking about visiting Thailand,” he added.
DNP Chief Thanya noted, “In addition, this project helps to make our national parks world standard. Officers have to be trained to handle any emergency situations. It shows that we care about tourists’ safety.
Chief Thanya also urged tourists to strictly follow the rules at each national parks for their own safety.
“If anyone see any emergency situation, please call the DNP hotline 1362, which is available 24 hours,” he said.
“We have six emergency-response centres throughout the country. These centres carry out emergency rescue when needed,” he added.