Permanent secretary Kritsada Boonraj said improvements were needed in light of accidents involving Thai and foreign tourists at venues offering attractions such as shooting ranges, cable cars, car-racing tracks, paramotors, thrill rides, bungee jumps or rock climbing.
He said provincial authorities would survey tourist venues in their jurisdiction to see what types of adventure activities they were offering and whether their equipment was safe.
Authorities will also meet with operators of tourist venues to seek their cooperation to strictly abide by safety regulations to prevent possible accidents. Those that fail to comply could have their operating licences suspended or their venues closed, he added.
The crackdown follows the death of a Chinese woman on an adventure ride at a tourist attraction in Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai last Sunday.
A 25-year-old Kuwaiti tourist died in May this year after his ankle straps came off during a bungee jump on Patong beach in Phuket. In April last year, two men were killed and another injured when a bungee jumping platform collapsed during testing at another Phuket site.
In the most recent incident, the Chinese tourist died after falling from a zipline at the Flying Squirrels adventure park in Pong Khrai village in Mae Rim. A post-mortem examination at Nakornping Hospital concluded she had suffered a broken neck and shoulder bones.
Witnesses told police that the woman was about to reach a station on the ride where two male staff stood ready to take hold of her, but they failed to secure her and she fell to the ground.
The aerial adventure has 32 treetop stations. Customers swing, abseil, bicycle and skateboard, held by slings attached to their bodies, from one tree platform to the next, the longest ride being 600 metres between stations. The thrill ride is popular with local and foreign tourists.
Puttipong Sirimat, the deputy governor of Chiang Mai, said district chiefs had been asked to survey the many tourist attractions offering adventure activities in the northern province. An initial survey showed that about 80% of the activities took place in national forest reserves, according to an INN Online report.
As a result, Mr Puttipong said, authorities were also investigating whether the venues in question had received permission to use the state land for their activities.
See original story here.