The money has been put towards various projects that aim to improve hospitality, tourism facilities and amenities that enable visitors to better enjoy the charms of this tropical island.
However, the Bureau of Tourism and Guide Registration Phuket Office (BTGR) has reported a large rise in the number of tourist complaints sent to embassies, and local and national authorities.
Many of these complaints have centred on the behaviour of tour guides.
Today, Phuket-based guides cover a range of nationalities, including Russians, Koreans and Chinese.
Indeed, so prevalent are foreign guides on the island that President of Phuket Professional Guide Association (PGA), Panompol Thammachatniyom, says: “With today’s circumstances, you might not even know that being a guide is a job reserved only for Thais.”
To be a registered guide, people must have full knowledge of local history and good language skills, Mr Panompol explained. Some unlicensed foreign guides have taken advantage of their language skills to lead a tour group, but lack the local knowledge required, and subsequently present misleading versions of Phuket history.
Many also join tour companies without a proper work permit.
One such case reported by a local guide was of an unlicensed foreign guide who twisted the history of the Battle of Thalang so that it became a violent dispute between islanders, not a heroic defence of the island against an invading Burmese army.
Another suggested the two heroines – famous for their role in leading the battle – had resorted to prostitution, “pleasuring” the invading Burmese army in a bid to ward them off.
Yet another case comically reported that an unlicensed Korean guide had taken a Korean tour group to watch the sunset at Promthep Cape. The only problem: they were actually at Sapan Hin, south of Phuket City. The guide was cutting fuel costs.
Complaints from tourists also mention being harassed by guides who approach them on the street, being defrauded by guides who do not deliver on their agreed packages, and being taken to souvenir shops against their will – something most travellers would have experienced at least once.
“These are all examples of bad behaviours that are ruining Phuket’s reputation,” Mr Panompol said.
“They [unliscenced guides] perceive being a guide as a part of business that is only about making money. And it is easy for them to do, as they can simply disappear after they gain enough money from ripping off tourists.”
However, Mr Panompol believes part of the problem lies with the complacency of local Thai guides; he says they prefer being in the “slavery of convenience”.
This attitude has led to an epidemic of so-called Thai ‘sitting guides’, whose job is to accompany a tour group. Instead of actually leading the tour though, a sitting guide will simply remain in the background while an unlicenced foreign guide does the work. If officials come to inspect the group, the sitting guide can show his or her guide licence to avoid any trouble.
The sitting guide effectively gets paid to do nothing except carry a permit.
This attitude of laziness and ‘convenience’ also highlights a flaw in the education and qualification system for guides in Phuket – the training course can be completed and a licence gained in just 10 days.
With this problem having existed for more than a decade, and with the number of complaints ever-growing, it is fair to ask why there is still no adequate fix in place to ensure both the quality and legality of tour guides in Phuket. There are almost no systems in place to weed out the bad ones.
Due to the Thai cultural trait of not wanting to lose face, Mr Panompol said authorities would rather conceal problems than publicise them – the fear of damaging their personal reputations has effectively helped to cripple that of Phuket.
During a meeting of the Special Committee of Economics on November 8, Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak was informed by Chief of Phuket Tourism and Sport Office, Buayan Suwanmanee, that 455 registered tour companies will be invited for a conference later this year to explain the laws and the need for ethics.
The plan to crack down on suspected tour companies that might hire unlicensed guides, however, announced on July 20 this year, was quietly ruled out. There will be no face lost.
Many comments were made during the meeting, which was concluded by a short comment from V/Gov Somkiat: “The guide problem has occurred due to the lack of law enforcement,” he said, hinting at the endemic corruption which has hindered any attempt to apply rigid solutions.
"If we can control tour companies, we can control their guides,” the Head of Bureau of Tourism and Guide Registration Phuket Office, Piyasuda Sukjaruen, said.
According to BTGR’s records, about 2,000 tour companies and 2,000 local guides are registered in Phuket.
BTGR have built networks to watch over tour companies suspected of breaking the law. During the past three years, the business permits of at least 40 tour companies were confiscated by BTGR. Of those, some companies had hired unlicensed foreign guides, while others has defrauded tourists.
But the work of the BTGR comes with its share of risk and inherent frustration – several officials have been threatened by ‘influential’ people, sometimes resulting in the investigation to ‘disappear’. There is big money in running tours on Phuket, and powerful figures do not take kindly to losing their share.
"Perhaps controlling the number of tour companies is an option to consider,” Ms Piyasuda said. “It will help restrict authorities’ work to a certain number of tour companies” and make it easier for them to police.
There has been no response to this idea, and other proposed solutions have not yet been agreed upon by authorities. The conference between authorities and tour companies at the end of this month could help change that, though after a decade of stalling, this is perhaps unlikely.
“Before authorities can achieve a solution, perhaps more attention and sincerity from them is needed,” said Mr Panompol.
“To solve this problem, we must acknowledge the fact that now we have a problem. Then we can cooperate to fix it.”
–Paritta Wangkiat